Immigration policy and contemporary issues

Ex Mex

Not only has the topic of Mexican migration been a major topic over the past several years, it has caused many a disagreement between individuals and political parties on how best to face this challenge. In response Jorge Castaneda, former Mexico secretary of foreign affairs and New York University, wrote Ex-Mex: From Migrants to Immigrants. In an interview when the book was published, he explained its purpose was threefold: to voice the Mexican perspective on the immigration debate, place this debate within a historical context and stress the economic push and pull of Mexican immigration that does not always work in conjunction with the present letter of U.S. law. Putting this important political debate aside, Castaneda has also been said to "give the immigration dilemma a human face."

This last note about making the immigration controversy "human" is what is memorable about this book. Castaneda notes that Mexicans have been crossing the border for well over a hundred years, some legally, some not. Some Americans surprisingly argue that immigration from Mexico is a recent occurrence. Others, with comments verging on racism, suggest that only countries with serious problems migrate -- a difficult consideration based on the fact that the United States was once known as the "melting pot," because of the different nationalities that settled here. As Castaneda recounts, "Between 1846 and 1932, 52 million European immigrants mostly came to the U.S." (2008, p.27) Films and literature have often depicted the Mexicans in this role of poverty, failure, and lack of success.as if "there is something fundamentally flawed about the national character, origin or destiny."

Throughout American history, the Mexicans have been called on, or some would say coerced, to come across the border and help the U.S. As laborers. During the late 1800s, they worked on the railroads with the equally mistreated Chinese. In World War I, recruitment of Mexicans grew significantly.. During World War II, Bracero Mexicans acted as temporary laborers to fill in for servicemen fighting abroad. For over 25 years, from 1942 to 1964, over 4 million Mexicans regularly worked for half a year in the U.S., and then went back to their families. In 1986 President Reagan's immigration reform gave amnesty to about 3 million undocumented Mexicans. In the '90s, every time the economy soared downward in Mexico, and was macthed with economic growth in the U.S., immigration grew steadily. This went until Bill Clinton's administration came down hard on illegal border crossings, even as the quickly growing American businesses desired additional labor. Immigration circularity, the name for this to-and-from pattern, stopped and smuggling continued. In 1998, Mexico backed dual citizenship, which led to migrants becoming U.S. citizens. Presently around 11 million Mexicans live here -- 11% of Mexico's population. In 2007, these indinviduals sent home $23 billion, the country's second-largest source of foreign revenue after oil exports.

Castaneda notes that American support or lack thereof regarding Mexican migration appears to be based on during the economy. Mexican migrants may offer crucial reduced labor costs, but sentiment against migration and employment reduction back. "In this long historical process lies the reason why Mexicans in general see migration in a different light from Americans," writes Castaneda, "even well meaning ones, when the latter underline the imperative need for everybody to 'play by the rules.'" (2000, p. 37). Exactly what are those rules? Also, how can these rules keep on changing based on American needs, not Mexican? How can anyone respect the law, when they have been "American fiction'? Instead of this wishy washy policy, there needs to be a much stronger and clearer one that everyone can understand..

Such clarity will probably not be in the cards, since the sentiment of the typical person in the U.S. is in the "fearful" mode, angered that they see the number of Spanish-speaking individuals significantly increasing, the economy failing and trying to deal with its own increasing poverty let alone that of Mexico as well. As Castaneda stresses, however, the answer is not to only come from the U.S., but it must be a two-way street.

He argues that Mexico should share in the responsibility of the border patrol.