There has been a lot of heated debate recently about the positive and negative effects immigration has on our country, and I feel that there have been very valid arguments made on nearly all sides of the issue.
The one perspective that I feel is lacking in the debate is that which includes the originating country for the vast majority of these immigrants, the reasons these immigrants are entering the United States and what exactly they want from their time in the United States. While I can't generalize about all immigrants, or even all Mexicans, I can relate many firsthand stories from my experiences living in Mexico.
I have lived in many communities throughout Mexico that have been greatly affected, for better or worse, by immigration - the vast majority of which involves openly undocumented immigrants. Every day, people talk very openly about entering the United States illegally for work, and have no shame about doing so. To many people, this is literally the only option for a decent life.
I have lived in a rural mountain community in Southern Mexico where nearly all the families have a male member in the United States, or one who is planning to go to the United States for work. Adolescents are making this long and dangerous journey because their parents can no longer do the arduous work in the fields that dot the mountainside, and there is simply no other work available for them in their village. Many of these people have tried moving to Mexican cities, but the jobs just aren't there either, forcing them to venture to the north.
I have lived in a poor neighborhood in Mexico City where I could count on one hand the number of people on a full city block who aren't living day-to-day, hoping that they will sell enough juice or cleaning supplies to allow them to buy beans and tortillas to feed their family. Many families are living on far less than 10 pesos (roughly $10) a day and are trying to feed and clothe their children. The family I lived with consisted of 24 people in one house, each person doing various jobs, pooling money and time to get through the day.
One single mother who, along with her two daughters, lived in one room in the house is planning on going to the United States in May because she said she has to do something so her daughters can have the things they need to grow up: their own space, clothes and food.
She has a steady job in Mexico, but her salary of roughly $500 a month cannot even cover living expenses. As she explained to me while starting to cry, she's only planning to live in the United States long enough to earn enough money to move out of her crowded, run-down house and start a new life in Mexico for her and her daughters.
She doesn't want to leave her daughters, and is only doing so because she already works long hours and feels it's a risk she has to take. If she could go legally, she would, but it's just too hard and too long of a wait to get the proper papers.
Her family even asked me if I would marry her, "only for business," so she could go legally and avoid the dangerous and expensive border crossing and not be scared about living in the United States.
I was happy to see in a recent Mexican presidential debate that the candidates were recognizing that a major problem surrounding the immigration issue is the lack of opportunities within their own country. Hopefully, whoever wins the upcoming election will work to change that situation.
Since the passage of NAFTA, many protections for Mexican workers have been removed, while the United States violates the trade agreement by providing protections and subsidies for its own workers and products. Many people in Mexico don't think it's fair there is a free market for goods but not for labor.
They ask why American companies can freely take advantage of an impoverished Mexican workforce and set up a factory where the only benefit to Mexico is a couple-thousand entry-level jobs paying roughly $6 a day, but Mexican workers can't take advantage of the better job market in the United States that these companies are successfully avoiding.
This is obviously a very complicated issue, and I have not attempted to present any solutions or even give any thoughts on the proposed legislation. I just wanted to share some stories that are not often heard.
From the south-of-the-border perspective, a temporary work visa program would solve many of the problems surrounding immigration, since the vast majority of people only want to go to the United States for a short period of time and then return to their homes.
I imagine most people would gladly pay taxes to the U.S. government, since they would still be able to make more money for their families than if they stayed in Mexico, and they could feel secure about being in the United States.
Hopefully, as this debate continues, people will look at all sides of the issue and realize the effects of the proposed policies, both on the United States and on the immigrants.
