Thread: Mexico's Own Immigration Laws

Maybe we should follow Mexico's immigration laws against their own illegal invaders who are here in the U.S.?

When I hear racist Latino groups complain about
our inhumane immigration laws, let us look at
Mexico´s.

Mexico's Immigration Law:
Let's Try It Here at Home
by J. Michael Waller
Posted: 05/08/2006

Mexico has a radical idea for a rational immigration policy
that most Americans would love. However, Mexican officials
haven´t been sharing that idea with us as they press for our
Congress to adopt the McCain-Kennedy immigration reform
bill.

That's too bad, because Mexico, which annually
deports more illegal aliens than the United States
does, has much to teach us about how it handles the
immigration issue. Under Mexican law, it is a felony
to be an illegal alien in Mexico.

At a time when the Supreme Court and many politicians
seek to bring American law in line with foreign legal norms,
it´s noteworthy that nobody has argued that the U.S. look at
how Mexico deals with immigration and what it might teach
us about how best to solve our illegal immigration problem.
Mexico has a single, streamlined law that ensures that
foreign visitors and immigrants are:
* in the country legally;
* have the means to sustain themselves economically;
* not destined to be burdens on society;
* of economic and social benefit to society;
* of good character and have no criminal records; and
* contributors to the general well-being of the nation.
The law also ensures that:
* immigration authorities have a record of each foreign
visitor;
* foreign visitors do not violate their visa status;
* foreign visitors are banned from interfering in the
country´s internal politics;
* foreign visitors who enter under false pretenses are
imprisoned or deported;
* foreign visitors violating the terms of their entry are
imprisoned or deported;
* those who aid in illegal immigration will be sent to
prison.
Who could disagree with such a law? It makes perfect
sense. The Mexican constitution strictly defines the rights of
citizens -- and the denial of many fundamental rights to
non-citizens, illegal and illegal. Under the constitution, the
Ley General de Población, or General Law on Population,
spells out specifically the country's immigration policy.

It is an interesting law -- and one that should cause us all to
ask, Why is our great southern neighbor pushing us to
water down our own immigration laws and policies, when its
own immigration restrictions are the toughest on the
continent? If a felony is a crime punishable by more than
one year in prison, then Mexican law makes it a felony to be
an illegal alien in Mexico.

If the United States adopted such statutes, Mexico no doubt
would denounce it as a manifestation of American racism
and bigotry.

We looked at the immigration provisions of the Mexican
constitution. [1] Now let's look at Mexico's main immigration
law.

Mexico welcomes only foreigners who will be useful to
Mexican society:
* Foreigners are admitted into Mexico "according to their
possibilities of contributing to national progress."
(Article 32)
* Immigration officials must "ensure" that "immigrants
will be useful elements for the country and that they
have the necessary funds for their sustenance" and for
their dependents. (Article 34)
* Foreigners may be barred from the country if their
presence upsets "the equilibrium of the national
demographics," when foreigners are deemed
detrimental to "economic or national interests," when
they do not behave like good citizens in their own
country, when they have broken Mexican laws, and
when "they are not found to be physically or mentally
healthy." (Article 37)
* The Secretary of Governance may "suspend or prohibit
the admission of foreigners when he determines it to be
in the national interest." (Article 3
Mexican authorities must keep track of every single person
in the country:
* Federal, local and municipal police must cooperate with
federal immigration authorities upon request, i.e., to
assist in the arrests of illegal immigrants. (Article 73)
* A National Population Registry keeps track of "every
single individual who comprises the population of the
country," and verifies each individual's identity.
(Articles 85 and 86)
* A national Catalog of Foreigners tracks foreign tourists
and immigrants (Article 87), and assigns each
individual with a unique tracking number (Article 91).
Foreigners with fake papers, or who enter the country under
false pretenses, may be imprisoned:
* Foreigners with fake immigration papers may be fined
or imprisoned. (Article 116)
* Foreigners who sign government documents "with a
signature that is false or different from that which he
normally uses" are subject to fine and imprisonment.
(Article 116)
Foreigners who fail to obey the rules will be fined, deported,
and/or imprisoned as felons:
* Foreigners who fail to obey a deportation order are to
be punished. (Article 117)
* Foreigners who are deported from Mexico and attempt
to re-enter the country without authorization can be
imprisoned for up to 10 years. (Article 11
* Foreigners who violate the terms of their visa may be
sentenced to up to six years in prison (Articles 119, 120
and 121). Foreigners who misrepresent the terms of
their visa while in Mexico -- such as working with out a
permit -- can also be imprisoned.
Under Mexican law, illegal immigration is a felony. The
General Law on Population says,
* "A penalty of up to two years in prison and a fine of
three hundred to five thousand pesos will be imposed
on the foreigner who enters the country illegally."
(Article 123)
* Foreigners with legal immigration problems may be
deported from Mexico instead of being imprisoned.
(Article 125)
* Foreigners who "attempt against national sovereignty
or security" will be deported. (Article 126)
Mexicans who help illegal aliens enter the country are
themselves considered criminals under the law:
* A Mexican who marries a foreigner with the sole
objective of helping the foreigner live in the country is
subject to up to five years in prison. (Article 127)
* Shipping and airline companies that bring
undocumented foreigners into Mexico will be fined.
(Article 132)
All of the above runs contrary to what Mexican leaders are
demanding of the United States. The stark contrast between
Mexico's immigration practices versus its American
immigration preaching is telling. It gives a clear picture of
the Mexican government's agenda: to have a one-way
immigration relationship with the United States.

Let's call Mexico's bluff on its unwarranted interference in
U.S. immigration policy. Let's propose, just to make a point,
that the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA) member nations standardize their immigration
laws by using Mexico's own law as a model.

This article was first posted at CenterforSecurityPolicy.org.



1. "Mexico's Glass House," Center for Security Policy
Occasional Paper, April 3, 2006.


Dr. Waller is vice president for Information Operations at
the Center for Security Policy. A journalist and author, he
brings expertise in terrorism, intelligence, the former Soviet
Union and the Americas. He previously served as a
consultant to the U.S. Department of State

This is a subject that has baffled me for quite sometime. Now how is it that Mexico can dictate what our immigration laws should be when they need to fix their own laws. They tell Bush that our country needs comprehensive immigration reform and he has no better sense than to believe them. They have no right to dictate what our laws should be period.Our laws have been on the books for years and they do not need to be changed to suit Mexico. Mexico want their illegal citizens in this country so that they can continue to send money to keep boosting their economy. They need to use this money to repay the State and Federal governments for their free food and medical care. These are things that THEY SHOULD NOT BE RECEIVING ANYWAT! Now if they can afford to send money home, then they can buy their own food and pay for their own medical care! ONLY IN AMERICA! tHE ONLY THING THAT IS WRONG WITH OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS IS THIS, THEY ARE NOT BEING ENFORCED.[/b]

But remember.......Our proposed fence is "Shameful!" and "Racist!" and "Xenophobic!" I am getting so God damn sick and tired of the hypocrisy. Its "USA plays by these rules, everyone else by the opposite." No more, compadre. The American people are seeing this for what it is: ethnocentric hypocrisy. They are trying to use our kindness, generosity, fairness, and altruism against us. While promoting the opposite for their ethnocentric aims. Forget altruism. If we have to, we will go Third World on their asses