Navarrette: Mexico has no interest in stemming illegal immigration

DALLAS -- Judging from the reaction I get from audiences whenever I speak about the United States and Mexico, a lot of Americans are fed up with what they see as a one-sided relationship. Yet on a recent swing through the Southwest that included stops in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, Mexican President Vicente Fox went with his usual shtick -- making the case that his nation and ours have a shared destiny while trying to build grass-roots support for a stalled immigration accord between the two countries. And, as he has done so often in the past, Fox also praised the millions of Mexican immigrants who live in the United States, legally and otherwise. Fox has called these people "heroes'' for contributing to the economies of both Mexico and the United States. But, on this trip, Fox also called the expatriates "role models'' -- not just for Mexicans back home, but also for Americans. What Fox says extends beyond Mexicans. No matter where immigrants come from, there is a lot they can teach the native-born about optimism, persistence, hard work and keeping a positive attitude. Consider the newly sworn-in governor of California. Austrian-born Arnold Schwarzenegger used his inaugural address this week to remind the world that -- as someone who came to America with "absolutely nothing and was given absolutely everything'' -- he had in his personal arsenal a mighty weapon: an immigrant's optimism. Still, many Americans view Mexicans as a special case. The way they see it, Fox should ask not what America can do for Mexico, but what Mexico can do for America. They're tired of the Mexican president demanding things from the United States -- like amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants living in the United States. They want him to stop playing the role of the panhandler and do whatever he can from his side of the border to help solve the illegal immigration problem. Now that sentiment has found a spokesperson in Rep. J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz., who last month fired off a letter to President Bush accusing Mexico of being "more of an accomplice in illegal immigration than a partner in preventing it.'' Dear Rep. Hayworth: You're being wasted in Congress. Think about a career in stand-up comedy. Whoever said Mexico wanted to help the United States prevent illegal immigration? Why in the world would it want to do something like that? From the point of view of the Mexican government, things are going swimmingly. Last year, Mexicans in the United States sent home an astounding $14 billion in remittances. The porous northern border acts as a gigantic pressure valve. The poorest of Mexico's poor flee to the United States instead of straining an already ailing Mexican economy. The elites in Mexico admit as much. The biggest concern of some members of the Mexican intelligentsia is that the United States will, one day, simply round up and send home the estimated 4 million to 5 million illegal Mexican immigrants living in this country. The Mexicans needn't worry. Folks at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue routinely do the bidding of business interests on which they rely for campaign contributions. Many of those businesses have, in turn, begun to rely on cheap immigrant labor. And often the cheapest variety of immigrant labor is the illegal kind. As a former Coca-Cola executive, Fox understands the law of supply and demand: As long as Americans demand immigrant labor, there will always be a supply. He often reminds Americans that one reason they have the time to call into talk radio shows and complain about illegal immigration is because someone else is watching the kids, cutting the lawn, cleaning the house or cooking dinner. Dear Rep. Hayworth: It's me again. If you want to be a tough guy on combating illegal immigration, don't waste your bluster on the president of Mexico. Pick on somebody who can really do something to stop the flow: those U.S. employers -- including many in your home state of Arizona -- who ignore the law by hiring illegal immigrants because they make the bottom line their top priority. Of course, be warned. That approach could prove detrimental to future fund-raising activities. And that means you won't get much help from your colleagues in Congress. Americans should ease up on the Mexican president. Fox is doing precisely what he should do. Why discourage a practice that seems to be in Mexico's best interest? Americans should do the same and pursue immigration policies that are in their country's best interest. But first, they have to decide what that is. And this requires squaring law and order with dollars and cents.

Of course, "Mexico has no interest in stemming illegal immigration." Quite the contrary, Mexico is counting on the financial benefits from the illegals. I covered this in "Double Crossing at the Rio Grande," posted on FreeRepublic two weeks ago.

This is what annoys me most about illegals, and their facilitators on the left; they suggest that those from Mexico are seeking a better life just like the ones that came from Europe and the Far East, but in fact they promote the idea of the United States of America being a workplace rather than a home. Fox somehow thinks that his best bet for improving the lot of Mexico is to demand better lives for busboys and chambermaids who sneak into a sovereign nation.

That's offensive to Americans, and it should be offensive to Mexicans, who, if you wish to believe Fox, can't improve their country so it isn't a place that millions want to leave.

I'll take a moment here and add some paragraphs for you.

DALLAS -- Judging from the reaction I get from audiences whenever I speak about the United States and Mexico, a lot of Americans are fed up with what they see as a one-sided relationship. Yet on a recent swing through the Southwest that included stops in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, Mexican President Vicente Fox went with his usual shtick -- making the case that his nation and ours have a shared destiny while trying to build grass-roots support for a stalled immigration accord between the two countries. And, as he has done so often in the past, Fox also praised the millions of Mexican immigrants who live in the United States, legally and otherwise.

Fox has called these people "heroes'' for contributing to the economies of both Mexico and the United States. But, on this trip, Fox also called the expatriates "role models'' -- not just for Mexicans back home, but also for Americans. What Fox says extends beyond Mexicans. No matter where immigrants come from, there is a lot they can teach the native-born about optimism, persistence, hard work and keeping a positive attitude.

Consider the newly sworn-in governor of California. Austrian-born Arnold Schwarzenegger used his inaugural address this week to remind the world that -- as someone who came to America with "absolutely nothing and was given absolutely everything'' -- he had in his personal arsenal a mighty weapon: an immigrant's optimism.

Still, many Americans view Mexicans as a special case. The way they see it, Fox should ask not what America can do for Mexico, but what Mexico can do for America. They're tired of the Mexican president demanding things from the United States -- like amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants living in the United States. They want him to stop playing the role of the panhandler and do whatever he can from his side of the border to help solve the illegal immigration problem.

Now that sentiment has found a spokesperson in Rep. J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz., who last month fired off a letter to President Bush accusing Mexico of being "more of an accomplice in illegal immigration than a partner in preventing it.'' Dear Rep. Hayworth: You're being wasted in Congress. Think about a career in stand-up comedy. Whoever said Mexico wanted to help the United States prevent illegal immigration? Why in the world would it want to do something like that? From the point of view of the Mexican government, things are going swimmingly.

Last year, Mexicans in the United States sent home an astounding $14 billion in remittances. The porous northern border acts as a gigantic pressure valve. The poorest of Mexico's poor flee to the United States instead of straining an already ailing Mexican economy. The elites in Mexico admit as much. The biggest concern of some members of the Mexican intelligentsia is that the United States will, one day, simply round up and send home the estimated 4 million to 5 million illegal Mexican immigrants living in this country.

The Mexicans needn't worry. Folks at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue routinely do the bidding of business interests on which they rely for campaign contributions. Many of those businesses have, in turn, begun to rely on cheap immigrant labor. And often the cheapest variety of immigrant labor is the illegal kind. As a former Coca-Cola executive, Fox understands the law of supply and demand: As long as Americans demand immigrant labor, there will always be a supply.

He often reminds Americans that one reason they have the time to call into talk radio shows and complain about illegal immigration is because someone else is watching the kids, cutting the lawn, cleaning the house or cooking dinner. Dear Rep. Hayworth: It's me again. If you want to be a tough guy on combating illegal immigration, don't waste your bluster on the president of Mexico. Pick on somebody who can really do something to stop the flow: those U.S. employers -- including many in your home state of Arizona -- who ignore the law by hiring illegal immigrants because they make the bottom line their top priority. Of course, be warned. That approach could prove detrimental to future fund-raising activities. And that means you won't get much help from your colleagues in Congress.

Americans should ease up on the Mexican president. Fox is doing precisely what he should do. Why discourage a practice that seems to be in Mexico's best interest? Americans should do the same and pursue immigration policies that are in their country's best interest. But first, they have to decide what that is. And this requires squaring law and order with dollars and cents.

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