Thread: Hatred and retaliation won't fix the migration problem

http://www2.eluniversal.com.mx/pls/impr ... ?var=27330

Hatred and retaliation won't fix the migration problem
BY KELLY ARTHUR GARRETT/The Herald Mexico
El Universal
Lunes 19 de diciembre del 2005

What a sad commentary on the state of the migration policy debated when asimple call for bilateral cooperation loosens an avalanche of anti-Mexico vitriol from misguided Americans who confuse sword rattling with patriotism.

Two weeks ago in this space I wrote about how disappointed most Mexicans and many Americans were when U.S. President George Bush's recent speech on immigration reform dwelt almost exclusively on unilateral enforcement and punishment. The e-mails hummed in, almost unanimous in their negativity - toward me, not Bush.

The notion that Mexico and the United States both have roles to play in working out a regional labor-flow agreement to end the chaos hardly seems controversial. Bush himself has said almost as much in the past. But the mere suggestion that Mexico and the United States should work together to solve this problem struck dozens of e-mailers as advocating surrender to an invading enemy. "Is this another threat from Mexico?" one correspondent wanted to know.

Another informed me that undocumented immigrants from Mexico "are calling for the overthrow of this government, language and culture, and for the eviction of all Europeans from this land," and went on to characterize the situation this way: "Both the illegal inhabitation and treasonous language are acts of war and should be treated as such."

Hmmm. The language of these responders was not only bellicose but often insulting. One typically uncouth e-mailer from Illinois accused President Fox personally of "pimping millions of Mexicans to greedy industrialists in exchange for a payoff of $1.5 billion per month."

Another, from the state of Washington, took a macabre turn: " . . . perhaps if a few thousand die trying to cross from Sonora into Arizona because of dehydration and heat-stroke or exposure to the elements, maybe the people will start taking control of Mexico for its people, instead of just running away."

An especially excitable couple let me know the consequences of advocating a cooperative approach: "If you are an American citizen, you have committed treason by supporting such behavior. If you are not a U.S. citizen, you should be included in those retaliated against in an act of war."

Mercy! As a permanent Mexican resident with a U.S. passport, I'll be both hanged as a traitor and shot as an enemy combatant if these two get their way.

My initial intention was to refrain from sharing these love letters. Why give these yahoos a bigger forum? And why risk promoting the impression that their mean-spiritedness is typical of Americans of any political stripe?

But we have to be realistic here. Their rhetoric may be more over-the-top, but these folks reflect a growing â€â€

Hey! You got a pickle in your pocket or what? Mexico is our "partner"? In what? What do they do for the United States? They have no money, they have no equity, they have no technology, they have nothing we need or want except nice tourist beaches and some oil. We send American money down there with our tourist. We send American money down there to buy some oil We send aid money down there to feed someone or something. We send $20 Billion a year in transfer payments down there. Now, let's see what do they send US? Hmmm.....Hmmmm.

Illegal aliens messing up our politics; draining our resources; deflating wages and salaries and more WHINING than any Real American could possibly stomach in a day which is why we all have PUKE BUCKETS.

We don't need anything from Mexico. Mexico does nothing for us that we need or want. They break our laws; dishonor us; disrespect us; rob us; rape us; kill us.

Get the picture? This is not a Friend. This is certainly not a Partner. This is a Parasitic Nuisance that needs a FIRM HAND.

And that's what WE are. Americans with Firm Hands.

Keep Free Speechin' People. I think it's beginning to get the Globalist Goats!!

Well, yeah we're angry. They're invading our country. Where does this person think all the angry emails are coming from? Calm down? How about lay down and die? These types of people say something needs to be done to stem the tide of illegals then they turn right around and say we are blowing this out of proportion. Offering to work with trade and migration? I think it would be better stated if it was refered to as a trade of migrants for American dollars. What an idiot.

Another thing I failed to address was that the mentality of these people who write columns like this refer to us as hate-filled racists. I am neither hateful towards these people nor am I a racist. I'm sick of the labels people stick me with. I am just a citizen who loves her country and is worried about the sovereignty of her nation. I probably don't even share most of the family values that many hold on this board but I care just as much about what the so-called 'leaders' of this country are doing to us and the situation they have created for us in the name of the almighty dollar. I am offended by the hypocritical writer and by the point of view it espouts in general.

how patronizing! Mexicans are not a Race- They are a Nation .So are we . We are expressing outrage as a Nation--
Anger is not Hate. Anger is an emotion that signals something is very wrong ( read Dance of Anger).
we are angry that we have not been consulted-as members of a nation- we have been asked to give up jobs - and pay for the medical housing and food and education of people who are not of our nation. how do these charming guest repay us?
they send all their money out of the country so that it does not help our economy-
they refuse to respect our national culture and language-
both fish and guests smell after three days-
these guests have way overstayed their visit- judy is right - we dont need mexico- it is an imbalanced relationship that needs to become balanced - by sending the guests home-

This man is so right!

"Hatred and retaliation won't fix the migration problem."

No it won't, but deportation of illegals and prosecution of their employers will.

How are we going to retaliate? I've got it. We send all of our retirees to mexico, and overwhelm their non-existant social services infrastructure.

I have never considered anyone here illegally my "neighbor" and have generally named them the "criminal next door."

There were a few retirees that chose to live out their autumn years in Baja, Mexico. Then the Mexican government siezed their land that they had invested their life savings into thus rendering them homeless.

Originally Posted by Richard

Consular Section of Embassy of Mexico in the United States of America
http://portal.sre.gob.mx/was_eng/index. ... e&SubMenu=

All foreigners must have a previous work permit if they will receive fees or salaries from a Mexican source. It is the employer or the institution interested in the services of the non- Mexican, the one that should apply for the work permit to the Instituto Nacional de Migración.

There were a few retirees that chose to live out their autumn years in Baja, Mexico. Then the Mexican government siezed their land that they had invested their life savings into thus rendering them homeless.

And there are still plenty of American retirees in Mexico today. They vote from there. I think it's disgraceful.

My point is that the Mexican government does things that the American government wouldn't dream of doing, yet they somehow feel the need to dictate how our country should be run. Could you imagine the uproar if we took a lesson from the Mexican government and treated even the legal immigrants like they do?