Free Republic

The New York Times opined Thursday that Sen. Bernie Sanders has the right idea on immigration, and that most Republicans support a plan that gone "well beyond the usual nativist bigotry." "Republican presidential candidates are arguing, in all seriousness, about sealing the border with fantastical 2,000-mile fences and weaponized drones; merging state, local and federal authorities and private prisons into one all-seeing immigration police state; forcibly registering American Muslims; mass-deporting 11 million Mexicans and others in a 21st century Trail of Tears; and turning away thousands of refugees fleeing war and terrorism in the Middle East," the Times said. The...

The election of a Democratic majority in the U.S. Congress and the inauguration of Felipe Calderon as president of Mexico offer the two countries an opportunity to reinvigorate a deteriorating relationship. To do so, the new leaders must change the agenda from illegal immigration to North American development and resolve to narrow the income gap between Mexico and its two northern neighbors. Early in their presidencies, George W. Bush and Mexican President Vicente Fox made the mistake of putting immigration at the top of the agenda. Migration is a net cost to Mexico and a net benefit to the United...