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Dear Mexico: You Just Might Wind Up Paying For That Border Wall After All! (western union $$)
Hot Air ^ | 2/10/160 | Jazz Shaw

Posted on 02/10/2016 1:59:12 PM PST by drewh

There’s an article this week over at The Last Refuge which might be worth a look if you’ve got an open mind on the subject. One of the less commented on aspects of international relations with Mexico is the volume of cash which Mexicans living in America (including illegal aliens) send home every year to their families. There’s nothing shocking about the idea at first glance. People send money home all the time. But just how much is it? This report straight out of Mexico may come as a bit of a shock.

Remittances sent home by Mexicans working outside the country surpassed petroleum revenues in 2015 for the first time. There was a 4.75% increase in money sent from abroad, most of which comes from the U.S., to total US $24.8 billion last year, up from $23.6 billion in 2014, said the Bank of México.

The bank said it was the first time remittances had totaled more than petroleum revenues since it began tracking them in 1995. Oil revenues last year totaled $23.4 billion. This is apparently the reality of the Mexican economy. They have more cash flowing into the country via letters and wire service from people working in the United States than they get from exporting oil. And it’s not peanuts. As the author notes, this offers an opportunity for the next President to apply leverage if they have the will to do so.

Yes, you read that correctly. Immigrant remittances received by Mexico have surpassed Mexico’s $23.4 billion in oil earnings. This means the government of Mexico is more dependent than ever on the earnings of maids and gardeners in the U.S. to keep itself afloat. This is the leverage Donald Trump talks about to pressure Mexico to pay for the border wall.

Trump’s proposal carries: the border wall solution, the employment solution, the enforcement mechanisms of current law, and another angle that is strategically essential. “WESTERN UNION REMITTANCES” (Money Services Compliance) Is it possible? Absolutely, assuming you can mount the pressure required to make it happen. It would be complicated and politically messy, but such things don’t seem to bother Trump much to begin with. It all comes down to the idea of directing law enforcement to direct resources and vigorous attention to impound all remittance payments derived from illegal wages. And once the word is out on the street that such payments are being looked at closely, both through electronic transactions and the purchase of money orders from banks and post offices, the flow might not be stopped but it would be severely reduced.

There’s an obvious downside to such a deal which can’t be ignored. Making a deal with Mexico to not do that if they agree to certain terms and conditions (such as working on wall construction) carries with it an admission that we’re not going to enforce the law or pay attention to illegals currently in the country. But as I said… this is a complicated puzzle to solve. If the effort to monitor and seize remittances in this fashion is beyond the scope of available resources then it’s not going to get done anyway. And if the result is a wall, well… perhaps you come up with a net win out of the deal.


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: District of Columbia
KEYWORDS: 2016election; aliens; illegals; mexico; mexicoremittances; trump; trumpwall
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To: SunTzuWu
That’s $25 billion per year not being spent here in the States. Essentially it is removed from our economy.

And almost all of it under the table income, likely involving additional fraud from the business where it came from.

'You can't get Mexico to pay for the wall...' - 12% tax on international money transfers to Mexico, it is paid for in few years.

41 posted on 02/10/2016 2:49:21 PM PST by kingu (Everything starts with slashing the size and scope of the federal government.)
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To: drewh

Why stop so low?

Make it 30% - 40%!

They can have all of the “day without Mexicans” protests they want-—the only ones that will really be hurt will be themselves.

How about it aliento de burrito?


42 posted on 02/10/2016 2:51:14 PM PST by Roman_War_Criminal (Amnesty advocates call me "Tio Tomas")
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To: drewh

I’ve always thought that if we could stop illegals from sending money home to Mexico the result would be self deportation over time. (Too much time, probably.) Catching the money electronically at Western Union, etc., would be easy.


43 posted on 02/10/2016 2:55:09 PM PST by MayflowerMadam (Romans 8:38-39)
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To: SubMareener

LOL - Years ago during the state fair a YUGE giant stuffed pussycat was won on the midway. White and quite large. The whiskered animal was called Stranger and sat in the bed for several years until it became an alley cat. Still attempting to learn WHO decides that certain words are wrong, dirty, curses. Someone has way too much time on their hands. Just another form of the libs attempting to control and add words to their PC banning of our English language. Before you know it left, radical, liberal,CONSERVATIVE will all be dirty words and thus banned from use. Allow it to continue...IT WILL HAPPEN. Everyone will be silenced afraid to open their mouth and living in fear of offending idiots.


44 posted on 02/10/2016 3:05:07 PM PST by V K Lee (u TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP to TRIUMPH Follow the lead MAKE AMERICA GREAT)
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To: Lurking Libertarian

Maybe a little tariff war? Maybe “encourage” US companies that are down there to move back to the US or discourage companies that are thinking of moving to Mexico from moving.

Interesting point here — this money is probably mostly owned by private entites and not the Mexican government. Wonder how that plays into it?


45 posted on 02/10/2016 3:13:57 PM PST by dhs12345
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To: Roman_War_Criminal

Call it an income tax capture payment. If you show that you’re a legal resident and you paid taxes on the amount that you wired abroad, then you get a nice deduction and/or refund at the end of the year.


46 posted on 02/10/2016 3:18:14 PM PST by Sparticus (Tar and feathers for the next dumb@ss Republican that uses the word bipartisanship.)
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To: entropy12

What’s the difference, initiate a toll, every person, car, truck and scooter pays. Millions cross the border they have to a lot more we have to. It would be paid in a New York minute.


47 posted on 02/10/2016 3:27:20 PM PST by Recon Dad (Force Recon Dad)
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To: Catsrus
Yeppers. Every Mexican in this country sends money back to Mexico. Every one of them!

$2k per mo. for each and every illegal alien. Imagine that! The federales will build the wall for us.

48 posted on 02/10/2016 3:40:20 PM PST by VRW Conspirator (American Jobs for American Workers.)
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To: drewh

How do they judge whether the earning was legal? If they were certain it was illegal, they should be deporting the worker and fining the employer. So they’d have to be, in essence, guessing that the money was earned illegally.

How many times do you suppose they’ll guess wrong?

How many times will they seize money that was a perfectly legitimate transaction? And how long will it take people to get it back when they do? And how much will it cost them?

This strikes me as having everything wrong with it that asset forfeiture does.


49 posted on 02/10/2016 3:41:51 PM PST by jdege
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To: drewh

There should be a surcharge as well, like a wage garnishment, upon any transfers to recoup any public benefits they receive. If they can’t pay they can work on the wall.
Can’t be done? It could be done now if there was a will to do it. And if they don’t like it they can go home, after they pay or work it off.
But they’ll sneak back across the border? That’s OK. Re-entry is a crime—supervised work release. Sheriff Joe for director of ICE.
Slavery? No. Undocumented immigrants are slaves now.
Have you ever owned a Mexican gardener, pool cleaner, landscaper, maid ... ?
No? Me neither.
`A Handmaid’s Tale’? No, that’s Hollywood. And they are the slave owners.
Picture coming together now? Let’s get started ....


50 posted on 02/10/2016 3:52:55 PM PST by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: all armed conservatives.)
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To: Liz; All

What issues really matter to the Candidates...? What did they say about TERRORISM

We are going to look at what Rubio, Cruz and Trump had to say during their announcement speeches to run for president about Terrorism, ISIS, Islam, middle east refugees. Rubio says not ONE word! Cruz has one line, but mentions Cuba FIVE times. Trump is ALL over it. SAME thing with immigration, which we did yesterday.

Tomorrow, we do Trade & the 2nd amendment.
http://towncriernews.blogspot.com/2016/02/what-issues-really-matter-to-candidates.html


51 posted on 02/10/2016 4:33:11 PM PST by AuntB (Illegal immigration is simply more "share the wealth" socialism and a CRIME not a race!)
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To: drewh
It all comes down to the idea of directing law enforcement to direct resources and vigorous attention to impound all remittance payments derived from illegal wages.

OK so how do you do that. Do you require every Western Union outlet, and I think every food and convenience store is one, require anyone wiring money prove that they are a citizen or they are here legally?

52 posted on 02/10/2016 4:37:45 PM PST by DoodleDawg
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To: Liz
L/E should check it out....if Western Union is wire-transferring monies obtained illegally...maybe from using multiple identities to get US government checks....W/U could be charged w/ wire fraud and money laundering.

Mexico/s Calderone piped up about Donald/s plan to make Mexico pay for it. NICE COMEBACK DONALD: when Calerone said Mexico was not paying for no wall.....Donald said on broadcast tv The wall just got higher.

Trump's going to make it fun being an American again...

53 posted on 02/10/2016 6:40:05 PM PST by GOPJ (Allowing illegals to stay in the U.S is like paying ransom to terrorists - an incentive for more)
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To: lonestar67; Lazamataz

When a dollar is worth a peso or less or nothing this is meaningless

Obama isn’t through with us yet

And we are defenseless .... no Congress, no Senate and every MSM outlet leading Obamas Charge

I will relax slightly when Laz tells me it’s OK and the count down is complete!


54 posted on 02/10/2016 9:44:23 PM PST by TexasTransplant (Idiocracy used to just be a Movie... Live every day as your last...one day you will be right)
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To: AuntB; GOPJ; Jane Long; Tennessee Nana
....look at what Rubio, Cruz and Trump said WRT Terrorism, ISIS, Islam, middle east refugees announcing for president. Rubio said not one word; Cruz has one line, but mentions Cuba FIVE times. Trump is ALL over it....all the time.

Good points.....terrorism and the border propelled Trump to the ntl stage....and he/s been riding high ever since.

Ominous that Cruz is obsessed w/ Cuba.....he was born in Canada to a Cuban father.....gives you an idea where his loyalties might lie.

PILLOW TALK? His globalist lawyer wife is associated w/ the Mexico/Canada open borders initiative being pushed by her employer, Goldman Sachs.

55 posted on 02/11/2016 3:55:18 AM PST by Liz (SAFE PLACE? A liberal's mind. Nothing's there. Nothing can penetrate it.)
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To: Liz; drewh; Tennessee Nana; Grampa Dave; AuntB; RitaOK; ExTexasRedhead; RoosterRedux

” NICE COMEBACK DONALD: when Calerone said Mexico was not paying for no wall.....Donald said on broadcast tv The wall just got higher.

LMAO. “

What I love about Trump. Slap me once, and I slap you TWICE

LOL


56 posted on 02/11/2016 7:25:56 AM PST by stephenjohnbanker (My Batting Average( 1,000) since Nov 2014 (GOPe is that easy to read))
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To: Liz; AuntB; GOPJ; Jane Long; Tennessee Nana; All

” Ominous that Cruz is obsessed w/ Cuba.....he was born in Canada to a Cuban father.....gives you an idea where his loyalties might lie.

PILLOW TALK? His globalist lawyer wife is associated w/ the Mexico/Canada open borders initiative being pushed by her employer, Goldman Sachs. “

B T T T


57 posted on 02/11/2016 7:28:53 AM PST by stephenjohnbanker (My Batting Average( 1,000) since Nov 2014 (GOPe is that easy to read))
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