My name is Nancy Meza, a proud graduate of UCLA and one of the millions of undocumented people living in the U.S.
It comes as no surprise that this years election and primaries are focusing on immigration, again. Both parties have used the "immigration issue" as political football.
Republicans have flipped flopped on who hates immigrants more and who would institute the harshest immigration laws once in office. Mitt Romney has even gone as far as saying he'd veto the DREAM Act if he was elected president and offered a "self deportation" solution to the complex issue of immigration.
At the same time, President Obama expressed support for immigrants and legislation such as the Federal Dream Act, while having the highest number of deportations of any president.
What continues to be missing is an honest conversation of the role U.S foreign policy and multinational corporations have in driving families from their countries through economic exploitation. Resorting to an inherently faulty logic that refers to immigrants as "good/bad" and "legal/illegal".
Simply stating that a law is a law and therefore people must obey and follow does not equate to that law being just. We have to remember that in the history of this country, slavery was protected under the law, women have been denied the right to vote, Japanese Americans were placed in internment camps during World War II and LGBTQ people were placed in mental institutions as a result of their sexual orientation.
The list goes on and on to show that numerous laws in this country's history have been inherently unjust. These laws are no longer in place because people had the courage to challenge those laws, break them and push the U.S to stand by its promise of freedom and democracy.
A recent report by the online magazine, The Nation, was recently released titled "How U.S Policies Fueled Mexico's Great Migration." The report gives numerous examples of how U.S based companies have benefited from foreign policies such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and set up shop in various regions in Mexico, forcing many to migrate to the U.S.
These corporations have devastated local economies through these free trade policies that turned Mexico into a hotbed for cheap labor for foreign investors. To most undocumented immigrants in the U.S., this report is nothing new, we have experienced these effects first hand.
By understanding the multitude of reasons why people migrate, one must ask themself the following questions; why would a father risk his life and leave his family? Why would a mother leave her children to go work in another country? Why would a family risk their entire livelihood in crossing a border to another country?
Making the decision to cross the border is immensely arduous for entire families and forced by unchecked foreign policies like NAFTA. In the daily struggle to survive and make ends meet for one's family, individuals will do everything in their power to make it through another day.
When a mother is looking at her hungry children in the eye, she doesn't have the luxury of waiting for a visa. Instead, she will do everything in her power to feed her children, including crossing the border. She'll work any and every job that comes her way to get through the day, but the reality is that she'll face exploitation through from a militarized immigration policy that keeps her in fear and a source of cheap labor.
Corporations make their profit from having an endless supply of underclass workers. With their economic power, they have a major influence and voice in how immigration policies are formed, more so than the politicians representing us. That's why we have to hold both the corporations and politicians accountable for the lack of action in creating humane laws and policies that create disarray among working class families. Until that happens, the conversation around immigration will continue to be one of scapegoating those personally affected by economic globalization.
If we, as a nation are serious about addressing immigration, we must acknowledge our role in pushing people out of their countries and taking little to no action in creating a permanent underclass of low wage workers who are susceptible to exploitation.
Follow Nancy Meza on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@eastLA_nancy
so for those advocating for illegal immigrants,
you are putting your race ahead of country.
if your allegiance lies with another country
you might reconsider your presence in our United States
When it comes to the issue of illegal immigration
We, the people, wont back down
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No. It was a time to change the program if NAFTA was bad, and the Mexican Nationals ignored the fact that the unemployment rate was higher in the United States, and that the strength of the economy of Mexico was better than the economy of the United States. The lying started with people from Mexico telling us how bad it was down there.. they wanted asylum.. they demanded citizenship, they refused to look at the real figures of what and how NAFTA was doing to Mexico.
We have been provided so much garbage as to why breaking our laws should be acceptable. The cost to the American People has been staggering, and it will continue to be staggering if the Democrats have their way. I suspect there will be a lot of stay at home voters this time around, and that will ensure the Mexican Nationals will be provided amnesty. Americans will shoot themselves in the foot and then wonder why it happened.
Does "they" include children?
Does "they" include anyone who may be sick with a comunicable desease such as TB?
Stop hiring undocumented people.
Stop doing businesses with companies that employ undocumented people.
The “starving children†claim is seems especially incredible when one considers that the majority of Illegal Immigrants living on the USA come from Mexico. Mexico is a net food exporting country. So where are the millions of people starving in Mexico located? And since four of five Illegal Immigrants come from Latin America and most countries in Latin America are also net food exporters the claim of starving children becomes even more tenuous.
The answer is most Illegal Immigrants are really just great Capitalists. About 78%+ of Illegal Immigrants come from countries with controlled economies. Take Mexico for example. According to their own Economic Data wages average about $5.00/hr. and the economy is controlled to that level of wages. Make $15/hr. in the USA and the Illegal Immigrant’s family lives an above average lifestyle back home while the person working in the USA lives better as well. They call this an economic subsidy, or arbitraging the system. Meanwhile American Citizens who used to hold the jobs waste away on unemployment or welfare. The only difference between this and being a Robber Baron is a matter of scale.
Per the Pew Hispanic Center six million Mexicans illegally immigrated to the USA, three million of which are working. Per the CIA World Fact Book the 2006 GDP of Mexico was $741.5 billion and the Labor Force numbered 38 million. That means the average GDP per working person was $19,513.
If USA Business had placed three million jobs in Mexico instead of using illegal immigration as a tool to drive down US wages and had paid the average GDP rate $9.38/hr.), six million Illegal Immigrants would have stayed home we would have pumped $59 billion in wages into the Mexican economy. About 57% of US GDP is made up of wages. Assuming the same for Mexico means $59 billion in wages would have added $103 billion or 14% to Mexico’s GDP. And USA GDP would have increased by about $5 billion with repatriated profits. Blaming NAFTA is a joke. Recruiting via Illegal Immigration means exploiting Mexican cheap labor can go on forever.
And NO, I'm not TOO startled.
The problem with Mexico is its proximity with the US. Mexicans are used to seeing their family members / friends come back from the US with nice cars, clothes, helping out their families and they want that too. These people are resourceful and driven, they have jobs and just want something better.
The blame in the US goes towards people like YOU. Y
b) for various different reasons that you couldn't begin to understand
c) so do you in ways you can't even imagine, hypocrite, and that's a generalization gone to far because i can say the same about you.
d) same as c
Finally, It takes two to create an issue.
Probably Mexicans like more sex or are catholic and follow whatever they listen from Rome.
Al Capone, Dillinger, John Gotti, Maddoff, Bugsy Siegel were all Mexicans too ??
Hey, as long as you have humans in Gov. you will have corruption.