Mexican and U.S. Presidents Discuss Migration Issues
Posted Sep 22, 2001

As readers of the MurthyBulletin may have seen mentioned in the news media in early September 2001, a joint U.S.-Mexican working group has proposed measures such as improving border safety, developing a "guest worker" program, and legalizing the status of undocumented Mexican workers. President Bush has expressed some support for these initiatives, and these and other migration issues were main topics of discussion when Mexican President Vicente Fox visited Washington DC on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 4 and 5, 2001.

President Fox commented, "There is one crucial fact that we must not lose sight of; migration flows respond to deep underlying economic incentives, are all but impossible to stop and must, instead, be regulated. Mexico is, therefore, seeking an agreement that will lend greater security and orderliness to the migration flows between our two countries."

The Mexican President expressed the hope that an agreement on migration issues would be reached before the end of this year. However, that timetable may be too ambitious from the U.S. point of view. Many in the U.S. Congress had voiced their doubts about some of the proposals, and some observers say that it is unlikely that any new programs would be enacted until after the next Congressional election, which is to take place in November of 2001.

U.S.-Mexico migration is an issue that is familiar to President George W. Bush, as the former governor of Texas. He appears to be committed to finding solutions, and the White House issued a very promising joint statement, as follows:

"They [the Presidents] renewed their commitment to forging new and realistic approaches to migration to ensure it is safe, orderly, legal and dignified, and agreed on the framework within which this ongoing effort is based. This includes: matching willing workers with willing employers; serving the social and economic needs of both countries; respecting the human dignity of all migrants, regardless of their status; recognizing the contribution migrants make to enriching both societies; shared responsibility for ensuring migration takes place through safe and legal channels….The Presidents recognized that this is an extraordinarily challenging area of public policy, and that it is critical to address the issue in a timely manner and with appropriate thoroughness and depth."

On Friday, September 7, the Senate Judiciary Committee scheduled a hearing entitled, "U.S. / Mexico Migration Discussions : An Historic Opportunity." As the neighbor of the U.S. it is important to understand the economic and other opportunities that have resulted in migration between the two countries, Mexico and the U.S., and our immigration policies need to accept that reality.