The Arizona Senate Appropriations Committee has cleared the way for a host of bills targeting undocumented immigrants. SB 1611, Senate President Russell Pearce's latest effort to punish the state's immigrant community with harsh sanctions and restrictions, was one of them. This comes on the heels of legislation introduced a couple weeks ago in the Arizona legislature attacking birthright citizenship of children born to undocumented parents.
SB 1611 will head to the Senate floor after clearing a narrow 7-6 vote in which two of the committee's nine Republicans voted against the bill. SB 1611 seeks to ban undocumented immigrant kids from K-12 education if their parents cannot produce a U.S. birth certificate or naturalization documents. The bill would also force Arizona businesses to use E-Verify, the federal immigration database. Those who don't could have their business license revoked. The bill would also forbid undocumented students from attending community college and state universities, even if they paid out-of-state tuition, and cut undocumented immigrants off from emergency medical care. People who want to file for a marriage license would need to show their immigration papers. And people would not be able to buy or operate vehicles without producing proof of legal residence. If they're caught driving without proper documentation they could face a month of jail time.
Portions of SB 1611 are clearly unconstitutional. In the 1982 Plyler v. Doe decision, the Supreme Court struck down Texas' attempt to stop undocumented children from attending K-12 schools. The business licenses revocation issue is currently before the Supreme Court in another Arizona case. And the emergency medical care prohibition is doomed to fail any constitutional reasonableness test.
Arizona's pending legislation attacking birthright citizenship of children born to undocumented parents is treading on thin constitutional ice as well. The U.S. Supreme Court's interpretation of the citizenship language of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution makes that pretty clear. In 1898, the Court confronted the issue in a case involving Wong Kim Ark, a man born in San Francisco whose parents were both immigrants from China. He was born at a time when the Constitution barred Chinese immigrants from becoming U.S. citizens. The key phrase in the 14th Amendment that the Court had to review was the grant of citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof." The Court concluded that the language covered all children born in the U.S. except those who were: (1) born to foreign rulers or diplomats, (2) born on foreign public ships, or (3) born to enemy forces engaged in hostile occupation of the country's territory. It's obvious that the children and undocumented parents who are being targeted by the Arizona legislative proposals do not fall into any of those sections. It's also evident that the undocumented parents are "subject to the jurisdiction" of the U.S. because the country deports such parents every day.
Everyone agrees that we need immigration reform. For years, Congress has attempted to strike a principled balance between greater enforcement and a fair way to adjust the status for the 10 to 12 million undocumented immigrants in the country. However, even immigrant rights advocates must acknowledge that legalization will not solve undocumented migration permanently. An expansion of visas will certainly help, but if the package does not include at least the first steps toward helping Mexico improve its economy and infrastructure, undocumented Mexican migration will continue, and the tension over undocumented migration will resurface down the road. To truly understand undocumented migration, we have to do what Americans have thus far been unwilling to do: Look beyond the simple explanation that migrants cross the border in search of work. We have to ask why they cannot find what they want in Mexico. In 1994, we were told that NAFTA would solve the undocumented problem because new jobs would be created in Mexico. But NAFTA ultimately contributed to huge job losses in Mexico. Mexican corn farmers could not compete with heavily-subsidized U.S. corn farmers, and now Mexico imports most of its corn from the U.S. Because of globalization, 100,000 jobs in Mexico's domestic manufacturing sector were lost from 1993 to 2003. Where do those unemployed workers look for work? El Norte.
An economic turnaround in Mexico is central to solving the undocumented migration challenge in the United States. Conservatives should understand that. And liberals should recognize that reducing undocumented migration is in Mexico's interest as well; the persistent loss of able-bodied workers needed to build its infrastructure and economy only hurts Mexico. All of us understand that economic investment in Mexico will not and, probably, should not be done without close monitoring.
Attacking the right of undocumented children to attend school and raising the issue of birthright citizenship do little beyond stirring up more hostility toward undocumented immigrants. Worse yet, these proposals continue to distract us from the meaningful discourse needed to develop plans to address push factors in countries like Mexico.
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http://www.economicrefugee.net/the-psycho-emotional-impacts-of-immigration-on-our-children/
...it gives a great in-depth look at what the impacts of such economic conditions have in these immigrant families' psycho-emotional health.
NNTV: Al Gore's Mexican Adventure
By Al Giordano
The 2012 presidential campaign is already underway... in Mexico.
And, as in previous Mexican elections, US interests are all over it like a cheap suit.
The truth is that Washington has always meddled in Mexican presidential elections.
http://reflexioneslibertarias.blogspot.com/2010/08/nntv-al-gores-mexican-adventure.html
Wikileaks reveals how the US meddles in South America
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=11404
Unless there is a TRUTHFULL degree of balance in the presentatiÂon of immigrant life, hardships, contributiÂons, risks, viewpointsÂ, people end up building an impression fed by words like "illegal," free tuition," and "handouts.Â"
It sounds great. Let's get tough on Mexicans who committed misdemeanoÂrs and hold them up to standards for which we do not hold up Europeans who started illegal immigratioÂn.
As a society we have let a mass mentality stoked by false perceptionÂs shape our thoughts. We see the Pilgrims as nobles, not illegals, but we see kids of people who have committed a misdemeanoÂr as devils.
Mexico is in solid 11th position, up from 13th
http://www.ask.com/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)
The guilt ridden promoted pity-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)
NNTV: Al Gore's Mexican Adventure
By Al Giordano
The 2012 presidential campaign is already underway... in Mexico.
And, as in previous Mexican elections, US interests are all over it like a cheap suit.
The truth is that Washington has always meddled in Mexican presidential elections.
http://reflexioneslibertarias.blogspot.com/2010/08/nntv-al-gores-mexican-adventure.html
Wikileaks reveals how the US meddles in South America
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=11404
Busting the worthless and corrupt teachers union (SNTE) would be a good idea too...
On the other hand, there were NO opposition presidents and NO opposition majority in Mexico's congress prior to 1994...
After, Ronald Reagan granted amnesty to 3.0 million illegal foreign nationals on Dec 6, 1986 ~ there were no illegals in the USA
Since, December of 1986 ~
Now, after 6 more amnesties granted by U.S. Congress between 1994-2000, totalling another 3.0 million illegal foreign nationals granted amnesty
The one thing the U.S. Taxpayer has learned ~ amnesties only beget the attitude for more entitled amnesties
OK...
Fact is, Mexico's problems are NOT due to the economy per se, but to the policy choices MEXICANS have made and continue to make. The decision to tolerate corruption. The decision to have more children than they can provide jobs for. The decision not to open their petroleum sector to investment but to keep it socialized and to use the income from it to provide government services rather than to tax the wealthy of the country.
Furthermore, the author is either naive or ill-informed. Mexico is a major crossing point these days for OTHER THAN MEXICANS. What excuses does he offer for them and their illegal immigration?
Mexico is the 6th or 7th largest producer of barrels of oil in the world
Mexico's unemployment rate is 4.95%
Mexico receives the 3rd most in U.S. foreign aid
Mexico receives $20 billion a year from its Nationals working illegally in the USA, its 3rd largest souce of revenue
USAID Mexico received $28 million in FY10 for its development coopera-tion program.
The Merida Initiative
The Mérida Initiative is a new strategy for regional security cooperation between Mexico and the United States, contributing to our bi-national ef-forts to combat organized crime. USAID funded activities encourage civil society participation in promoting reforms, increasing public security, and increasing respect for human rights.
Mexico is the 13th richest economy in the world, with an unemployment rate of 4.95%
U.S. foreign aid to Mexico
2009 ~ Drug/Anti-Terror ~ $363.8 million USD
2009 ~ Foreign Aid ~ $ 75.2 million USD
2010 ~ Drug/Anti-Terror ~ $722.9 million USD
2010 ~ Foreign Aid ~ $ 34.8 million USD
2011 ~ Drug/Anti-Terror ~ $297.7 million USD ~ requested by BHO
2011 ~ Foreign Aid ~ $ 48.8 million USD ~ requested by BHO
http://www.usaid.gov/locations/latin_america_caribbean/country/mexico/
They need to be fed, clothed and sheltered, all of which generate tax revenue and a large percentage of them also pay payroll taxes.
You are woefully misinformed, but this does not hide obvious xenophobia....
One thing to note - the majority of illegals who came across the border in the past were seeking jobs. That has changed in the past few years and now we have the criminal element becoming more and more common in crossing the border. Plus there is an increase in human smuggling and drugs.
The corruption in the Mexican government, the police and army units is a major part of Mexico's problems. We send them money, arms and equipment and help train their police and army - and then some army and police defect to the cartels taking with them the arms and equipment or are working for the cartels instead of the government. And where does the money go? Might be very interesting to follow the money trail.
Oh yeah, and those jobs offered in Mexico by American companies pay $30. dollars a week for 10 hour days. Walmart, JC Pennies, Sears, Mc Donalds, Burger King, Home Depot, and all the other American companies who have set up shop in Mexico under NAFTA, and closed small mom and pop businesses there, charge the same prices they charge here. Could you live on $30. dollars a week? I think not.
You make loads of sense...
Better, by far, to get rid of the USA's STUPID drug laws, and get rid of Mexico's STUPID civilian disarmament laws. Both countries would be better off. And freer...
===
No, that's poking our nose in where it doesn't belong. Mexico's problems are Mexico's to solve. What we need to do is secure our borders. That's our problem to solve.
Ask yourself what is the one legitimate use of armed forces in a civilized world? It's national defense, and what better defines a country than its borders? Bring our armed forces back from Iraq and Afghanistan, and put them to patrolling the US side of our border with Mexico.
Mexico minimum daily wage ~ $4.54 USD based on 18/1 pecos/USD
My research shows otherwise;
" * NAFTA, by permitting heavily-subsidized US corn and other agri-business products to compete with small Mexican farmers, has driven the Mexican farmer off the land due to low-priced imports of US corn and other agricultural products. Some 2 million Mexicans have been forced out of agriculture, and many of those that remain are living in desperate poverty. These people are among those that cross the border to feed their families. (Meanwhile, corn-based tortilla prices climbed by 50%. No wonder many so Mexican peasants have called NAFTA their 'death warrant.'
* NAFTA's service-sector rules allowed big firms like Wal-Mart to enter the Mexican market and, selling low-priced goods made by ultra-cheap labor in China, to displace locally-based shoe, toy, and candy firms. An estimated 28,000 small and medium-sized Mexican businesses have been eliminated.
* Wages along the Mexican border have actually been driven down by about 25% since NAFTA, reported a Carnegie Endowment study. An over-supply of workers, combined with the crushing of union organizing drives as government policy, has resulted in sweatshop pay running sweatshops along the border where wages typically run 60 cents to $1 an hour."
http://tinyurl.com/zns8