The Impact of Mexican Immigration on the United States - Essay Example

Is Mexico reconquering U.S. southwest Illegal immigration fueling aims of Hispanic radicals Friday, January 4, 2002 2002WorldNetDaily.com By Art Moore The impact of Mexican immigration on the United States has been a major focus of policymakers and the public for well over a decade now. Federal legislation passed in the 1980s and 1990s was majorly directed towards the perceived impacts of the continuous immigration of thousands of Mexicans to the U.S. Similarly, local elected officials, media persons, and the general public regularly contend with understanding and responding to the Mexican immigration into communities across the nation. Mexican immigration occupies a complex position in the U.S. legal system as well as the public eye. Throughout the 20th century, Immigration law has swung back and forth, at times welcoming Mexican immigrants and at other times slamming the door shut on them. The public reception of this Mexican group has also been quite unpredictable; although they have been able to make a place for themselves in communities across the United States, but frequently they have had to battle hostile elements in the same communities to survive. Till today, in many ways, this push-and-pull dynamic continues. Mexican immigrants and their descendants now constitute of a significant portion of the U.S. population and are one of the most influential social and cultural groups in the country. Mexican American culture is very likely to shape U.S. life in language, politics, food, and daily living and will help define the nation's identity for a new century. Considering historical facts, the first Mexicans to become part of the United States never crossed any border. Instead, the border crossed them. Spanish-speaking people have lived in North America since the colonization of Mexico by Spaniards in the sixteenth century, and ever since Mexicans have always played a crucial role in the continent's cultural and historical growth. Everything changed with the War that broke out between the U.S. and Mexico In 1846 over the U.S. annexation of Texas. Mexico was defeated, and the two nations signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. This treaty gave U.S an enormous amount of land, including what would later become the present day states of California and Texas, as well as parts of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Nevada. With two strokes of a pen U.S had expanded by a third of what it was and overnight, thousands and thousands of Mexicans had become residents of the United States. As the Mexican American community grew over the years, it became increasingly prominent in public life of Americans. As Mexican territories metamorphosed into states, they began to affect the balance of power in the U.S. government. The entertainment industry also displayed some awareness of the new importance of Mexican culture. The positive half was about romanticized images of life south of the border but the negative side of it perpetuated gross ethnic stereotypes and racist slurs. Today, Mexican immigrants and their descendants occupy a more significant place in American cultural life than they ever did before. Mexican Americans now reside in all regions of the country and have seeped into most professions and trades. Statistical figures by the government show that, by the next two generations, more than 25 percent of the U.S. population will be of Latin American origin American political officials perceive this movement as a hope for "recon Questa" which means "to re-conquer a lost territory" and consider it to be a deliberate political conspiracy. The greatest impact of Mexican immigration seems to be the growing Latin American influence on the everyday life of all Americans in terms of Mexican clothing, music, architecture, literature, and food. It is very apparent that Mexicans have been part of life in the present-day U.S. long before it was a self-governing country. What impact can this group possibly have on the nation's future Glenn Spencer, president of Voices of Citizens Together, a California based non-profit group stated that the massive influx of illegal immigrants is "importing poverty" and that the "damage is going to be irreversible" and will lead to "break-up of United States". Many however, beg to differ from this point of view. American employers in a wide variety of industries, clearly recognize the value of Mexican immigrant workers. U.S. industry has hired and continues to seek to hire large numbers of Mexican workers due to significant shortages of manpower in America, thus fueling a dramatically increased role for Mexican immigrants in the economy of the nation. In the 1990s alone, the number of Mexican immigrants working in the U.S. grew by 2.9 million people which equaled to a 123 percent increase. In contrast, the overall number of American workers grew by only 13 percent during the same period. Thus, the size of the Mexican population makes a quantifiable impact on the U.S economy. At times like this when native-born Americans are obtaining college degrees in record numbers and are unlikely to accept positions requiring minimal education, these vacancies are readily filled up by Mexican immigrants. The economic importance of Mexican workers will only continues to grow as job openings for unskilled and semi-skilled workers increase. The immigration laws should be reformed so that they give the immigration system the integrity to keep Americans safe, while at the same time giving the industries the essential manpower to succeed. U.S. immigration law must provide ways for Mexican workers to enter and remain in the U.S., on both temporary and permanent basis, with protection system to assure that they have the dignity and respect they deserve, given the important economic and cultural contributions they make to America. For the mutual benefit of both nations American workforce should implement steps to maximize the contributions of Mexican workers and minimize any hindrances associated with their admission and integration into the country. Friday, January 4, 2002 THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE Is Mexico reconquering U.S. southwest Illegal immigration fueling aims of Hispanic radicals Posted: January 4, 2002 1:00 a.m. Eastern By Art Moore 2002WorldNetDaily.com A radical Hispanic movement's dream to retake the southwestern United States is becoming a reality with the aid of Mexican and U.S. policies, according to some immigration watchers. A massive influx of illegal immigrants is "importing poverty" and growing an ethnic community with greater loyalty to Mexico than the U.S., maintains Glenn Spencer, president of Voices of Citizens Together, a California-based non-profit group. "Unless this is shut down within two years, I believe that it will be irreversible, and that it will most certainly lead to a breakup of the United States," Spencer told WorldNetDaily. "I don't think there is any doubt about it." A breakaway of U.S. states is a distinct possibility, according to prominent Chicano activist and University of California at Riverside professor Armando Navarro. In an interview with WorldNetDaily, Navarro would not answer directly whether he shared separatist aspirations, but said that if demographic and social trends continue, secession is inevitable. "If in 50 years most of our people are subordinated, powerless, exploited and impoverished, then I will say to you that there are all kinds of possibilities for movements to develop like the ones that we've witnessed in the last few years all over the world, from Yugoslavia to Chechnya," Navarro said. "A secessionist movement is not something that you can put away and say it is never going to happen in the United States," he continued. "Time and history change." In a 1995 speech to Chicano activists, Navarro said demographic trends are leading to "a transfer of power" to the ethnic Mexican community in the Southwest. He notes that most studies show that within the next 20 to 30 years Latinos will comprise more than 50 percent of the population of California. This fact, and other cultural and social developments, are opening the door for "self-determination" and even "the idea of an Aztlan," he said in his speech. Aztlan, the mythical birthplace of the Aztecs, is regarded in Chicano folklore as an area that includes California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and parts of Colorado and Texas. Spencer believes the aim is to create a sovereign state, "Republica del Norte," the Republic of the North, that would combine the American Southwest with the northern Mexican states and eventually merge with Mexico. "I see that as the overarching goal of the Mexican government and many Mexicans who want self-determination," Spencer said. 'America's Palestinians' On its website, a group called "La Voz de Aztlan," the Voice of Aztlan, identifies Mexicans in the U.S. as "America's Palestinians." Many Mexicans see themselves as part of a transnational ethnic group known as "La Raza," the race. A May editorial on the website, with a dateline of Los Angeles, Alta California, declares that "both La Raza and the Palestinians have been displaced by invaders that have utilized military means to conquer and occupy our territories." But the threat of secession is not merely from groups that might be considered on the fringe, Spencer insists, noting the declarations of Mexican leaders, up to the highest office. Former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo said in a 1997 speech in Chicago to the "National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic advocacy group, that he "proudly affirmed that the Mexican nation extends beyond the territory enclosed by its borders and that Mexican migrants are an important - a very important - part of this." Zedillo said that because of this fact his government proposed a constitutional amendment that allows Mexican citizens to hold dual citizenship. Spencer believes that the objective is to enable Mexicans in the United States to vote in the interest of Mexico. Ultimately, many Mexicans hope for a "reconquista," a reconquest of territory lost when Mexico signed the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo at the end of the Mexican-American War. "One could argue that while Mexico lost the war in 1848, it will probably win it in the 21st century, in terms of the numbers," Navarro told WorldNetDaily. "But that is not a reality based on what Mexico does, it's based on what this country does." Spencer argues that misguided U.S. policies and lax enforcement have allowed a steady stream of 1 million illegal immigrants a year to enter the country. Demographers agree that instead of integrating into a "melting pot," new Hispanic immigrants, both legal and illegal, are building a distinct, politically active community. The problem is not that they have a voice, Spencer says, but that they increasingly are acting according to the interests of Mexico. Spencer believes that the Mexican government played an important role in the legal quashing of a 1995 California voter initiative, Proposition 187, that limited taxpayer funds to services for citizens only. After a visit with California Gov. Gray Davis in 1999, former Mexican President Zedillo told reporters that he had a commitment from Davis to ensure that "the catastrophic effects which were foreseen with Proposition 187 several years ago will not come to pass." Among other signs of Mexican influence on U.S. affairs, Spencer notes that less than two years ago, West Los Angeles businessman Eddie Varon Levy became the first person living abroad to join the Mexican Congress. Varon Levy said one of his goals as a member of the Chamber of Deputies was to establish a special attorney's office to defend immigrants' rights. Border erasure The U.S. has tripled its border patrol budget over the past five years, but the flow of immigrants has barely changed. At the same time, Mexican President Vicente Fox has pressed for an eventual erasure of the southern border and encouraged Mexicans who seek work in the U.S. At a speech one year ago at a border post in Nogales, just south of the Arizona border, Fox said: "We want to salute these heroes, these kids leaving their homes, their communities, leaving with tears in their eyes, saying goodbye to their families, to set out on a difficult, sometimes painful search for a job, an opportunity they can't find at home, their community or their own country." Under the Fox regime, Mexico has an Office for Mexicans Abroad that provides survival kits for Mexicans who seek to enter the U.S. illegally. Some immigration watchdogs in the U.S. believe, however, that all this does not add up to a desire by the Mexican government to retake the Southwest. Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Los Angeles office of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, believes statements by Zedillo and Fox indicate "they are looking for some way to gain leverage with regard to American policy." "They want to create one market where they will be able to send workers here without any restrictions, because it's in their interest to do so," Mehlman said. The incentive to cross the U.S. border is high. The average illegal worker can make about $60 a day in the U.S. compared to about $5 a day in Mexico. Immigration hurts both countries But Allan Wall, an American married to a Mexican and a resident south of the border for 10 years, maintains that immigration is not helping Mexico. "I see it having many bad effects where I live," said Wall, Mexico correspondent for Project U.S.A., an immigration reform group in New York. "It's kind of like welfare; it encourages people to use the U.S. as a safety (net) rather than solve the problems in Mexico." On the U.S. side of the border, Mexican migrant workers are viewed by many lawmakers and officials as an economic boon. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has said that the illegal workers increasingly play an essential "anti-inflationary" role in the U.S. economy. But Spencer argues that the most recent census confirms that the immigration tide is "importing poverty." Wall agrees that the influx is precipitating a demographic meltdown that could lead to a fracturing of the country. "The United States needs to drastically reduce immigration and go back to an assimilation model, where immigrants learn English and become American; otherwise it will be a disaster," Wall said. Studies indicate most Americans believe immigration policy is not serving their interests, Mehlman said. "They're upset about it, but still haven't been upset enough to demand that the government change its policies." Mehlman explained that the impact on the average citizen is not easy to assess. "Even though they are aware that this is not necessarily beneficial, it's hard to convince someone of how much it is costing in social costs, how much it might be costing in lost wages." Polls show that most Americans want something done about immigration, said Spencer, but are afraid to speak out because they don't want to be labeled as racist, or anti-immigrant. "That's the weapon the other side uses against us," said Spencer, who served among Native Americans for many years. "It is very effective, and they know it, and so they use it at every opportunity." Wall believes that the "whole discourse on immigration" must be changed. "We have to distinguish between being anti-immigrant and anti-immigration," he said. "Like any other public policy issue, it should be debated. Unfortunately the mainstream press is only giving us one side of the immigration issue." Related Special Offers: The stunning documentary video "Conquest of Aztlan," which unveils the aims and methods of a radical movement intent on taking over the American southwest, is available from WND's online store. The upcoming February edition of WND's popular Whistleblower magazine will be dedicated entirely to America's enormous immigration and border problems. The current issue, "AMERICA DEFENSELESS," deals with protecting the U.S. from attack with weapons of mass destruction. Subscribe to Whistleblower at WND's online store, or by calling toll-free 1-800-4WNDCOM. Related column: America's Palestinians Art Moore is a news editor with WorldNetDaily.com. . Read More