Crossing “mojado,” wet or illegally, has become more expensive and more dangerous, particularly with drug cartels dominating the border. At the same time, educational and employment opportunities have greatly expanded in Mexico.
Per capita gross domestic product and family income have each jumped more than 45 percent since 2000, according to one prominent economist, Roberto Newell. Despite all the depictions of Mexico as “nearly a failed state,” he argued, “the conventional wisdom is wrong.”The economic gains cannot be denied. More jobs and more post-secondary education is a good thing for Mexico and the US. If Mexico could ever get up to near the standards of Canada and the US, border enforcement and illegal immigration would fade as a pressing issue.
Illegal immigration issues and the criminality surrounding them clouds the fact that Mexicans are good people, more “like us” than not. We share a Christian heritage and an entrepreneurial spirit. Like us, the lazy ones are prone to take advantage of social services, but also like us, many more work and scrimp and save to make a better life for themselves. Bringing immigrants out of the shadows of illegality will solve much of the dysfunction and language problems, resulting in a more welcoming America and removing the perceived stigma of being Hispanic.
Enforcement Works
“illegal life in the United States became harder. Laws restricting illegal immigrants’ rights or making it tougher for employers to hire them have passed in more than a dozen states since 2006. The same word-of-mouth networks that used to draw people north are now advising against the journey. “Without papers all you’re thinking about is, when are the police going to stop you or what other risks are you going to face,” said Andrés Orozco.”
If the US really got a handle on the illegal immigration problem, closing the borders and punishing those greedy human rights abusers who hire illegal workers, the situation would rapidly improve for newly-arrived legal Hispanic immigrants. No longer under a cloud of suspicion, integration into the American patchwork would be much easier.
For a thoughtful treatment of the issue, see Michael Barone - New Reality Emerging
