U.S. elections and hope for understandings with Mexico
The
Mexican president also told reporter Connie Watson, that while some gains have been made with President George W. Bush since
2000 all that they had wanted has not been accomplished.
The Mexican economy is intimately tied to that
of the U.S., and the growth of the U.S. economy over the past two years is beginning to show in Mexico. Associated with this, Mexico has benefited from some of the consequences of Bush’s foreign policy,
record high crude oil prices and a growth in exports.
In part, the failure to achieve immigration
accords is due to the same problem of inexperience that has keep domestic agreements from being reached in Mexico. Officials have not been able to find an opportune moment, or define the objective of the negotiations. They have been unable to differentiate between what is wanted and what is possible,
and there are few strategies in place to identify a beginning agreement that can set the stage in order to resolve a binational
problem that will last for years.
The immigration phenomenon in the U.S. is not
a high priority for either of the candidates during this campaign. Bush talked
more about this problem during the 2000 campaign than now, and while his latest immigration proposal is known it is seen as
insufficient on both sides of the border.
John Kerry, during an August 28 speech on immigration,
said: “As president, I would immediately sign the AgJOBS and DREAM Act bills.
More importantly … I will address the issue of the millions of undocumented immigrants who labor, often abused,
in the shadows of our country.”
Kerry committed to offer a comprehensive immigration
reform bill within the first 100 days of his administration. But other than those
comments any details of his plan have yet to be revealed.
It appears that nothing more has been said because, besides neither of the two presidential candidates having
an interest in doing anything right now on this matter, one or the other will agree to something with the Mexican government
subsequent to the elections. But as of now the issue does not seem to have an
important place on the agendas.
Regardless of which candidate wins the November 2 elections, it appears that as of now there is no possibility of the
two nations making a joint effort to advance the prevention of undocumented migration.
Nor will they address issues such as safety and training for migrants who would be able to integrate into the American
way of life or respect for their human rights. As for these issues, a ministry
of immigration should be created in Mexico as well as in the U.S.
A successful example of binational cooperation is the Arizona-Sonora Commission.
That joint entity works together on a permanent basis to take care of issues related to economic development, health,
the environment, free trade, agriculture, tourism and other needs and problems that are shared by the contiguous border states.
It would be worthwhile to create a binational commission to attend to the population agenda, in order to reasonably
regulate that which in fact already exists: economic and cultural integration that is taking place with northern Mexico; the
increases in migrant populations in southern and central U.S. states; the community of U.S. citizens living in Mexico that
is now over 1 million people; and social relationships that result from economic, political and cultural exchanges that take
place daily between Mexican and U.S. communities in the two countries that have impacts on both societies.
More agreements have been signed in connection with illegal drug trafficking and extraditions than have been
entered into for the movement of people, or with regard to positive and negative social consequences created on both sides
of the border. So what should next be done, regardless of who wins on November
2, is promptly initiate approval of a new North American treaty that would include social, cultural and political factors.
Yet political conditions do not appear favorable for either of the two governments to make anything like this possible
in the short-term.
___________________
Enrique
Andrade González (a www.mexidata.info columnist) is an attorney and Mexican business consultant with offices in Mexico City. Lic. Andrade, who received his LL.M. in Constitutional and Protection (“Amparo”) Law
from the Universidad Iberoamericana, is also a law professor at the Universidad Intercontinental. His e-mail address is enriqueag@andradep.com.
