Thread: Former Mexican President Says Most Illegal Aliens Don't Want To Become US Citizens

Former Mexican President Says Most Undocumented Immigrants Don't Want To Become US Citizens

By David Sirota @davidsirota d.sirota@ibtimes.com on January 25 2015 9:05 AM

Felipe Calderon, chairman of the Global Commission on Economy and Climate, speaks during the "Closing the Climate Deal" session at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos Jan. 22, 2015. The former president of Mexico told IBTimes American immigration policy is trapping many undocumented Mexican immigrants in the U.S. when they'd really prefer spending most of the year at home. Reuters/Ruben Sprich


DAVOS, Switzerland -- The crackdown on illegal immigration combined with intensified border security has prompted large numbers of undocumented Mexican laborers to remain in the U.S. permanently -- even as many prefer to go home -- out of fear they will never be able to return, former Mexican President Felipe Calderon told International Business Times.

In an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, Calderon, who was president from 2006 to 2012, characterized the primary motive of undocumented Mexican immigrants as economic.

Many are simply seeking to stay in the U.S. for a few years to earn money before returning home with cash to build houses and support families, he said. But the American border crackdown has made the crossing so treacherous and expensive, many unauthorized immigrants already in the U.S. are staying put rather than risk being shut out forever, Calderon said.

“Many of them are currently trapped,” Calderon told IBTimes. “There are a lot of these people [who] want to be in Mexico eight months every year, but they are unable to go there, because if they cross the border, they will never be able to cross back again.”

Calderon said he believes U.S. lawmakers should consider adding provisions to proposed immigration legislation that would permit “temporary work in a massive way,” but without giving immigrants automatic citizenship.

“I don’t believe that most of the Mexican workers looking for a job in the United States are wanting to be American citizens,” Calderon told IBTimes. “They are looking for an opportunity to get economic benefits and actually thinking when they are leaving [Mexico] what will be the way in which they can go back to their own home.”

Calderon argued American political groups opposed to undocmented immigration -- the kind that have backed statutes to toughen immigration enforcement, as reported by Reuters -- are prompting those already in the U.S. to stay and seek citizenship, even if that was not their initial goal.

“The American society, even the more conservative people, are getting exactly the contrary results that they were looking for,” he said. “In other words, anti-immigration laws are provoking millions of people living in the States that are unable to go back to their own countries. And they start to think, ‘Well if I need to stay here, it is better to do that all the way.’”

The former Mexican president’s comments came as Obama administration officials have started promising a renewed focus on making it more difficult for undocumented immigrants to enter the U.S., as reported by the Hill. This month, Obama pledged his administration is “going to be much more aggressive at the border in ensuring that people come through the system legally.” At the same time, Republicans in Congress are advancing a bill to spend $10 billion on new border security measures.

With the rise of the Islamic State group and its territorial ambitions in the Middle East one of the key issues debated at the World Economic Forum, Calderon also told IBTimes he believes there has been a major shift in national-security threats around the globe -- one he says he saw in Mexico as his government’s war with the drug cartels intensified.

“Violence is coming from a new phenomenon that we didn’t realize was happening at the end of last century and is still going on: Organized crime, not only narcotraffic, is expanding and looking for territorial control,” said Calderon, who as president saw drug cartels exert de facto control over parts of his country, as noted by Reason at the time. “In developed countries, especially with huge traditions with judges, criminal law and a culture ... with [a] law-enforcement tradition, it is more difficult for them to take over,” he said. “But the big difference between developed and developing countries is that the organized crime in [developing] countries is able to take over the government. It is able to take over the police groups.”

Calderon attended the Davos conference in his role as chairman of the Global Commission on Economy and Climate.

He said oil-producing countries such as Mexico and others “need to be prepared for the transition” to renewable energy and he acknowledged, “There will be winners and losers, like any transition.” But he said there are vast economic opportunities for the developing world in renewable-energy businesses. He also said young people are going to ultimately force governments to act to reduce carbon emissions.

“The political power is switching toward younger generations, and they definitely will be in favor of stronger changes,” he said. “The big question is the new political power in the hands of the young people as they become adult citizens -- will [change] arrive on time?”

http://www.ibtimes.com/former-mexica...ome-us-1793860

LOL!! So this is the new argument for illegal immigration?! Really? You mean illegal aliens want to leave but are afraid to because they're afraid they won't get to sneak back in and break our laws again? Seriously?! Well, it certainly hasn't stopped the drug cartels, the drug business is thriving like never before, so all that product gets in and all the money gets out, only for more to come in right behind it, and more money to leave on schedule right after it. See, someone has to actually sit down and invent these reasons for the US government not to do its job and enforce the laws. Comments like this from Calderon are just more proof that the cartels are behind all of this, a very organized, systematic, conspired and thus far effective plan. Of course it wouldn't work if we had true Representatives of the American People in our government, but because it works so well, that's just proof we don't. When officials choose to believe lies devised by skilled public relations experts, instead of the voters who put them in office and pay for their high-flying lifestyles, you know as we do that we've been had.

Years ago I talked with an illegal who said he was here just to work and had a nice home and family in Mexico. Then I also recall the marches years ago with the Mexican flags waving and thought it showed where many of their true loyalties lie. So I think it is true many are here only to make money to send 'home.' And this money is Mexico's second largest source of revenue so it would benefit Mexico for their citizens to be able to simply work here as guest workers.

Originally Posted by Jean

Years ago I talked with an illegal who said he was here just to work and had a nice home and family in Mexico. Then I also recall the marches years ago with the Mexican flags waving and thought it showed where many of their true loyalties lie. So I think it is true many are here only to make money to send 'home.' And this money is Mexico's second largest source of revenue so it would benefit Mexico for their citizens to be able to simply work here as guest workers.

This would lend credence to E-Verify and Steve King's bill to end birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens, because if they're only here to work, and the jobs go away, then they won't need or want according to Calderon, their children to be US citizens.

Republicans need to focus on passing E-Verify, Steve King's bill to end birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens, and of course pass the FairTax, repeal ObamaCare, and defund USCIS performance of any attempt to provide "executive amnesty" to illegal aliens.