Harder for people to cross the border, but easier for money

BRIEFING: "Good neighbours make fences: America is building a border barrier that is both too tight and not tight enough," The Economist, 4 October 2008.

Arrests are down along the border, owing to a combination of tougher enforcement and lowered economic prospects here.

What does not change over all the up-and-down on enforcement over the past 15 years? The steady climb of the value of remittances from roughly $1B in 1996 to $6-7B today.

Little has changed over the last century and a half. A U.S. government surveyor in 1850 noted the followed:

Labour is cheap and abundant in Mexico. At El Paso, Mexican labourers could be had for sixty-two and a half cents per day, they finding themselves; but men could doubtless be procured at even less price.

Back then, copper mines, today it's industrial ag and construction.

You either deal with the wage differential or the flow continues. It's as simple as that.

Comments

[William R. Cumming]

Sealing the border is the wrong approach. We need to eliminate Mexico from the usual discourse on immigration issues and recognize the duality of US/Mexican history and relations. If we ever do completely seal the border expect revolution in Mexico with large numbers of Mexicans fleeing to safety to US. This is really not a question of history, economics, language or anything else, just necessary for humane relationships between both Nations and recognition that our heritage is more shared than we realize. Amazing how few Centers for Study of Mexican/US relations exist at the college and university level in either nation. We keep pretending that we can ignore the symmetry between the nations as to our long term evolution. (Perhaps some kind of dual citizenship should be eventually created allowing even more integration.) Another step might be to help the Mexicans build a sea-level canal. Certainly would help Mexican employment and world trade. Even the $5B improvement Panama is funding in the existing canal will not be adequate for sea-borne trade if your (T.P.M.Barnett) global vision is carried out. How about all hispanic military units allowing automatic citizenship upon completion of service. Sort of a Marian (1st Centruy Rome) reform. Certainly help with the manpower/woman power sitaution. Besides look for all those Cuban Republicans to look for complete integration of CUBA post -Castro now that those sharing CUBAN heritage in US and CUBA realize economic and political integration makes sense. Having a black President perhaps in OBAMA will help the rest of US get over the fact that 75% of CUBAN's would be considered black in this country. The Mexican financial rescue in the 90's under Clinton revealed the real relationships between Nations and for once it made money for the US.

[Jimmy J.]

Just returned from ten days on the west coast of Mexico. It's a real shame they have not been able to reform their government and economic system. The country has got resources, hard working people, and could be a prosperous country. Unfortunately, oligarchy, a tradition of bribery, and the Napoleonic Code do not promote economic growth. Shame.