Increased Illegal Immigration a Symptom of the Failure of NAFTA

Back in the early 90's I was a supporter of NAFTA. This was, of course, before I had the opportunity to read the full text. At the time I believed the way to promote a better way of life for the citizens of Mexico was to enable a free trade environment, reducing taffifs and trade barriers. What I didn't know was that greedy U.S. multi-national corporations were salivating over the opportunity to dump their lazy, overpaid American workers in favor of building factories in Mexico and Central America then filling them with workers who should be grateful for the pittance they would be paid.

Now, 10 years later, armed with cafefully selected data proving the limitless benefits of NAFTA, no one in the U.S. government can explain why Mexicans by the millions are willing to die in the desert rather than stay in their own country. If NAFTA is so beneficial, why are they willing to emigrate at any cost?

While I do have a certain degree of empathy for anyone willing to work hard to improve their quality of life, I cannot support amnesty for people who have chosen to break into the United States even if they do just "get to go to the end of the legalization process line". It is equivalent to breaking in, setting up residency in someone else's house, then expecting the homeowner to accept me and pay for the emergency room when I get sick because I sent all my money somewhere else.

While there is a provision in NAFTA dealing with labor standards, they don't seem to be working. The news coverage of illegal immigrants demanding preferential treatment yesterday was proof of that. They should be demanding a better quality of life in their own countries, not disrespecting the American people who followed the rules to become legal citizens. It is a privilege to become a citizen of the United States, not a right. Giving birth to an "anchor baby" is a despicable way to try to stay in this country. I respect my friends who waited years to take their citizenship test and were so proud to become Americans. My ancestors came to the United States, not by sneaking in, but emigrated from Europe, learned English, and waited many years to become citizens.

The fact that America has millions of illegal aliens is only a symptom of a much larger problem. The problem is that the United States government has nurtured a business trade policy where it is not only allowed, but expected that cheap foreign labor is necessary to maintain the standard of living. Instead of leading by example, rewarding companies for manufacturing on U.S. soil and treating American workers fairly and honestly, our elected officials are selling the country to the lowest bidder by giving tax breaks to businesses outsourcing American jobs. Average Americans could not survive without their credit cards. Illegal aliens are not taking jobs Americans don't want to do, they are taking jobs American teens used to do, and adults would do for a better wage. They are driving wages down.

America is the land of opportunity, but it is no longer self-sustaining. Without cheap foreign manufacturing most Americans could not afford to live here. The manufacturing jobs lost in the past decade will likely never return, but we should take the opportunity now to replace those with advances in sustainable and renewable energy technologies. Our dependence on foreign products and fossil fuels is a much bigger problem that will further reduce our ability to deal not only with the illegal alien problem, but every other problem facing the country. It is nonsense to think amnesty or a path to legal citizenship for people who have already broken the law will solve the problem.

If we truly value freedom and democracy we will insist that our lawmakers effectively enforce our borders with Canada and Mexico and heavily sanction employers who hire illegal aliens. Instead of blind acceptance, every American should make a conscious decision to stop supporting businesses who outsource to cheap foreign labor markets, hire illegal aliens, and incorporate in foreign tax havens to avoid paying U.S. taxes. Be proud to be an American by supporting America.

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