Immigration Reform? Let's Try Mexico's Immigration Law in U.S.!

by John W. Lillpop


Mexico seems to be wallowing in "Do As I say, Not As I Do" hypocrisy when it comes to immigration laws. Successive presidents and foreign ministers of the nation have called for leniency on the part of the U.S. when it comes to Mexicans coming to America illegally across U.S. borders.

Do Mexican leaders practice what they preach when it comes to, say, an American couple seeking a cheaper, slower-paced lifestyle? Not on your tortilla!

Mexico, according to journalist and terrorist expert Dr. J. Michael Waller, has some of the strictest immigration laws of any country, and they enforce them to the letter.

A link to his commentary.
http://www.citizensforaconstitutionalrepublic.com/waller5-8-06.html

Waller informs us that "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 the U.S. Congress to adopt the McCain-Kennedy immigration reform bill."

Waller adds: "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."

Waller sharpens his point by commenting on the unnerving tendency of some legal scholars in the U.S. to use foreign laws as a reference point for deciding issues in America.

Waller states, "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."

And whereas U.S. laws are often cumbersome, complex instruments fathomable only to lawyers who charge upwards of $300 an hour, things are more to the point in Mexican law.

Again, quoting Waller from the referenced link: "Mexico has a single, streamlined law that ensures that foreign visitors and immigrants are:

• In Mexico 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:

• 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," Waller states with unassailable logic.

Unfortunately, very little "perfect sense" is obvious in the ongoing debate on immigration reform here in the United States. Rather, the interests of the American people are often ignored or made subordinate by politicians from both parties.

Of greater interest to some in Washington, D.C., is feeding an insatiable corporate appetite for cheap labor, satisfying a wicked lust for cheap votes, and giving in to an inexplicable drive to promote America's decay into a third-world abyss.

These ignoble interests trump rule of law, homeland security, economic and social stability, and preservation of American language and culture in the minds of some elected officials sworn to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution.

By contrast, Waller notes that Mexican law and officials are focused on numero uno--that being Mexico!

Waller writes, "The Mexican constitution strictly defines the rights of citizens – and the denial of many fundamental rights to non-citizens, both 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 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 them as a manifestation of American racism and bigotry."

Waller supports his main thesis by citing key articles of Mexico's main
law.

Again quoting from the commentary at http://www.citizensforaconstitutionalrepublic.com/waller5-8-06.html:

"We looked at the immigration provisions of the Mexican constitution. 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 38)

• 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 118)

• 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)"


Waller summarizes his review of Mexican law with this statement: "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."

Waller concludes his excellent work with a challenge that should be visited upon all 535 members of the U.S. Congress and President Bush as they consider immigration reform.

Waller's challenge:

"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."

Congratulations to J. Michael Waller.* His is a voice of sanity that needs to be heard, especially by inmates wandering the halls and cloak rooms of Capitol Hill and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

*J. Michael 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.



John Lillpop is a recovering liberal.

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