A Rational Solution to the Illegal Immigration
Problem with Mexico
Arnaldo Vaquer

The United States has an incoherent national immigration policy and an obsolete immigration system. Our immigration system cannot or will not stop the flow of undocumented immigrants coming into the United States. At present, we cannot keep track of the legal immigrants — where they are or when they are required to leave. We cannot or are unwilling to expel the millions of undocumented immigrants, even if we could find them.

We now have between eight and 12 million undocumented immigrants in this country. Most are from Mexico, but we are getting increasingly larger numbers from other countries such as El Salvador. We do not know what is the true cost/benefit to our nation from their presence.

The root cause is the enormous disparity between the US and the Mexican economies. The Mexican economy does not produce enough well-paying jobs for the fast-growing Mexican labor force, particularly for the less educated and rural laborers. A rural worker in Mexico makes the equivalent of a few dollars a day. The U.S. minimum wage is $5.15 an hour. Mexican laborers migrate in search of economic opportunities for themselves and their families. It is no more complicated than that. This illegal flow into the United States will not stop until the economies of the United States and Mexico reach some equilibrium.

There are two reasons why the U.S. and/or the Mexican governments have been unable to solve this problem. The first is economic. Both countries’ economies benefit. U.S. industries — particularly agriculture, hotel, restaurant, and the construction industries — benefit and actively promote the illegal immigration. For Mexico, the migration acts as a release valve, easing social pressure and instability caused by too many people looking for jobs. Cash remittances from Mexican workers in the United States provide that country with its second largest infusion of capital next to the sale of Mexican oil, some $15 billion annually.

The second is that this issue is a highly charged, politically sensitive one with racial and cultural overtones, which have been repeatedly demagogued in the past.

There are at least five issues that have blocked solutions to the problem in the past. They need to be addressed.

• The first is what to do with the estimated eight to 12 million undocumented immigrants already here, half of whom are Mexicans, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.
• The second is that of extending U.S. citizenship to all newcomers as well as those born here to undocumented parents.
• The third is that of the dilution of the Anglo-Saxon culture in the United States.
• The fourth is how to assure all U.S. residents that their economic well-being will not suffer.
• The fifth is a post 9/11 issue: assuring our residents that our national security will not be compromised.

We need to replace/improve the policies, processes, manpower, equipment, and facilities of our obsolete system. And, of course, we need an answer to what to do about the undocumented immigrants who are already here. The political solution must take into account its root cause, the disparity between the U.S. and Mexican economies.

As a nation, we have already decided that we won’t initiate a massive expulsion of our undocumented immigrants. Then, the only rational solution, at the risk of rewarding lawbreakers, is to legalize the stay of those already here by issuing residence and work permits. These could be for a period of five years, renewable for another five, if the new legal residents observe good citizen behavior. These permits will allow the now legal residents to travel to and from Mexico, therefore discouraging the bringing of their entire families into the United States. A percentage of those permit holders will also opt for living in Mexico part of the year, returning to the United States for seasonal jobs as needed. Provisions could be made for obtaining permanent residence or U.S. citizenship after 10 or 15 years.

The newcomers may be issued driver’s licenses or other official forms of picture ID that clearly states their status and country of origin. Greater privileges could include: practicing their own profession or trade, opening their own business, buying real estate and many other privileges afforded to U.S. citizens.

There may initially be three limitations to immigrants who will be issued permits. First, they remain the citizens of their country of origin. Second, they will vote in their country of origin. Third, the number of people will be limited to those already here, and an annual quota of Mexican immigrants who will be allowed every year, legally, by mutual agreement between the two nations. These limitations may be imposed initially simply to have better control of the process and to make it more politically palatable. A more permanent solution can be agreed upon in the future, when the economic disparities between the two nations are lessened.

The United States should require Mexico to fulfill at least four conditions before issuing the residence and work permits. First and most important is that Mexico actively polices its two borders to help the United States stop the illegal immigration completely. Mexico has to have a system in place and functioning effectively to stop the illegal immigration, before the residence and work permits can be issued to the illegal Mexican immigrants now in the United States. This system needs to be maintained because the annual quota to be extended to Mexicans to enter the United States every year depends on this system working effectively. Secondly, Mexico must take giant steps to help grow its own economy. The fact is that as long as the Mexican economy remains weak, the flow of illegal immigrants north will continually increase. Therefore, the state of the Mexican economy becomes a high priority for the United States.

The third is that a Mexican immigrant now residing in the United States without papers must secure a legal Mexican passport and a clean police record from Mexico as a condition for residing in the United States. Only then will he/she be eligible for work and residence permits.

The fourth is that Mexico agrees to grant as many permits to U.S. citizens wishing to live or retire in Mexico, as the U.S. will grant to the undocumented Mexican immigrants. These permits will have the same privileges and limitations as those granted to the Mexicans. This could, for the first time, initiate a significant migration south into Mexico by U.S. citizens.

The warm weather, inexpensive labor to take care of the household chores, cheaper gasoline, good food, the friendliness of the Mexican people towards the U.S. citizens residing in Mexico, and the overall good life in Mexico can attract U.S. citizens by the millions. This southern migration has already begun for a lot of better-informed and well-traveled citizens of the United States and Canada.

Once the decision is made regarding the undocumented immigrants already in the United States, a more coherent immigration policy can be formulated.

In a century, with or without adopting these measures, the border that now exists between the two countries will be a historical curiosity, like the Berlin wall that divided the two Germanys, is today. Let the great debate begin!

(Dr. Arnaldo Vaquer of Spanish/Puerto Rican heritage is a veterinarian by profession with long time interest in immigration reform. Educated in Puerto Rico and the United States he now lives in Arlington, Virginia. He may be contacted at arnaldovaquer@yahoo.com)

© 2005, Hispanic Link News Service
09/18/05
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