Thread: Mexico asks U.S. to do as it says, not as it does

http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/125360

Published: 04.20.2006

Mexico asks U.S. to do as it says, not as it does
Our view: Mexico's criticisms of U.S. illegal-immigration debate prove to be hollow — and hypocritical

An Associated Press story on the front page of Wednesday's Star contained an eye-popping account of Mexico's mistreatment of illegal immigrants from Central America. The story said that illegal entrants are considered felons in Mexico and many are routinely robbed, beaten or raped by police or the military. Some are shot to death.

The story was all the more shocking because it revealed horrendous human-rights abuses in a nation that has recently been a harsh critic of U.S. immigration policies.

The story seemed to be a classic case of Mexico saying to the U.S., "Do as I say, not as I do." But hypocrisy is abhorrent wherever it's found.

Just a few months ago, when Congress was debating whether to stem the flow of illegal immigrants by building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, Ernesto Derbez, Mexico's foreign secretary, accused American politicians of acceding to the wishes of "xenophobic" extremists while ignoring the contributions that illegal immigrants from Mexico make to the American economy and the nation's cultural tapestry.

The plan to build a border wall was "stupid" and "underhanded," Derbez said in an Associated Press story published in the Star on Dec. 20. Derbez and Mexican President Vicente Fox have acknowledged that illegal immigration is a problem in the U.S. but have always called for humane solutions.

The latest AP story indicates, however, that Mexican politicians expect the United States to meet a standard for treatment of illegal immigrants that Mexico itself does not adhere to.
And that's putting it mildly.

While many Mexicans vociferously denounce the criminalization of Mexicans living illegally in the United States, Mexico itself classifies those who enter its borders illegally as felons subject to deportation or two years in prison.

In fact, illegal immigrants in Mexico are treated so poorly that it's hardly any wonder that Central Americans try to get out of Mexico and into the United States as quickly as possible. At least if they're caught here there's much less of a chance they'll be robbed, raped, beaten or killed.

Wednesday's story said, "Undocumented Central American migrants complain much more about how they are treated by Mexican officials than about authorities on the U.S. side of the border, where migrants may resent being caught but often praise the professionalism of the agents scouring the desert for their trail."

Illegal immigrants from Guatemala and other Central American nations told reporter Mark Stevenson that federal and local police in Mexico would typically take all their money and then set them free.

That extortion and bribery are widespread in Mexico is not news to many Arizonans and certainly not to Mexican citizens. But the news that this parasitic behavior is practiced on helpless migrant workers certainly tends to dilute the moral outrage that Mexico's leaders express when talking about the plight of illegal immigrants in the United States.

On Monday, for example, Mexican Interior Secretary Carlos Abascal declared that, "Mexico is a country with a clear, defined and generous policy toward migrants." Yet the facts indicate that such statements are hollow. Mexico, with a population of 105 million, has legalized only 15,000 immigrants in the past five years, and many undocumented migrants who are detained are deported, the AP reported.

It would be pointless to scrutinize Mexico's immigration laws or its treatment of illegal immigrants if the Mexican government were not so vocal in its criticism of U.S. attempts to grapple with the complex illegal immigration issue.

But based on Wednesday's AP story, any criticism of U.S. policy from Mexico is a glaring case of the pot calling the kettle black. Our neighbor to the south is hardly the poster child for ethical governance or humane treatment of illegal immigrants.

Having tried to do a work exchange at a hotel in Mexico while there on a visitors visa and being told I needed an FM3 I have known all about the hypocritical attitude for 29 years.