Can You Spell Hypocrisy ?

How does Mexico Treat It’s Own Immigrants?

July 15, 2007 by Shaun Connell

By Garrett Harmon, July 2007

During his six years in office, Former President Vicente Fox begged for the United States to be lenient with illegal immigrants entering its country. Fox has consistently been a proponent of amnesty for Mexican immigrants living within the United States [1]. The reasoning behind his statements can be found in many of the common mantras: Mexicans merely want to escape from poverty; they want to build better lives; they help build the economy; they do the jobs Americans won’t do. Sadly, though, Mexico’s stance has nothing to do with “superior” moral values. It is merely politically expedient for Mexico to send its poorer workers across the border. Mexico’s “caring” attitude mysteriously disappears when one looks at its very own immigration policy.

Exactly how consistent is the Mexican government when it comes to its own border policy? Ironically, the Mexican government is facing many of the same problems that we do today. People flee Guatemala and travel into Mexico to build a better life for themselves [2]. Individuals in Guatemala are substantially poorer than people living in Mexico. The yearly average per capita GDP for individuals in Mexico is just over 10,000 dollars [3]. Guatemalans on average make only around $5,000 yearly [4]. This is about half the average wage in Mexico. Both of these numbers are adjusted for Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), which includes things like inflation and makes the two numbers comparable. Thus, a quick jot over the Mexican-Guatemalan border can reap a higher paying job.

Money isn’t merely the only reason to flee Guatemala. Gangs ruthlessly terrorize the locals in Guatemala City [5]. The Guatemalan government has been able to do little to stem the tide of violence [6]. Guatemala has some of the most violent gangs on the planet. According to Jeffery D. Corsetti, J.D,

“…in Guatemala alone, there are an estimated 434 gang cells, made up of at least 80,000 gang members. Guatemala suffers from one of the world’s highest levels of violent crime, with a homicide rate of around thirty-six per 100,000. Indeed, the gangs are like a cancer, spreading throughout rural and urban areas” [7].

Poverty and violence sound like pretty good reasons to get the heck out of Guatemala. In fact, these reasons sound incredibly similar to those given by illegal immigrants coming into the United States from Mexico.

Why on earth do Mexican plantation owners have to go to Guatemala to find labor? Mexican plantation owners claim that they have to hire Guatemalans because they do jobs that Mexicans won’t [8]. Also, Mexico is in need of workers because too many people are crossing over into the United States [9]. Basically, Mexico does not have enough workers to fill the void left by the massive emigration from Mexico. By continuing its push for an open border policy, Mexico will end up hurting itself in the long run.

How are illegal immigrants from Guatemala treated in Mexico? Guatemalan illegals are treated very poorly. Plantation owners pay at rates below the government’s official minimum wage [10]. Many plantation owners take advantage of helpless immigrants by practically enslaving them and deciding not to pay them at all [11]. The living conditions for these immigrants are incredibly bad [12]. While the Mexican government has made paltry efforts to help, the reforms do little to alleviate the crisis [13].

Still yet another amazing correlation, Mexican civilians view these Guatemalan immigrants as criminals [14]. While American citizens such as the minutemen try to stop illegal immigration by reporting incidents to the border patrol, Mexicans take a more gruesome approach. According to a New York Times article on Mexico’s southern border,

“Migrants are also routinely detained by machete-wielding farmers, who extort their money by threatening to turn them over to the police. So many female migrants have been raped or coerced into sex, the authorities said, that some begin taking birth control pills a few months before embarking on the journey north” [15].

It remains important to notice that the civilians of Mexico are doing this. The people of Mexico do not seem to have a problem with demanding rights for their comrades in the United States while abusing those who come to Mexico illegally..

Mexico has made an effort to deport illegals entering from Guatemala. For example, Mexico deported over 153,000 people in 2000 [16]. Mexico has had problems patrolling its southern border and keeping immigrants out [17]. Since Mexico couldn’t do a very good job of patrolling its own border, where did it go for help? If you guessed the United States, then give yourself a cookie. The United States spent over 2 million dollars helping Mexico secure its own Southern border [18]. The US has since quit with financial aid and now provides training to Mexico’s agents {19].

Mexico’s stance towards the US and its completely opposite immigration policy paint a baffling picture. On the one hand, Mexico is demanding citizenship for illegal aliens living in the United States while deporting illegal immigrants. Former President Fox justified the presence of illegal aliens by citing that they merely want to escape poor living conditions and build a better life. Residents from Guatemala seem to be doing precisely the same, yet they face deportation. Mexico has no problems whatsoever deporting massive amounts of illegal immigrants from its own country. Even Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister Gerónimo Gutiérrez admitted that Mexico’s border restrictions were much tougher than the United States’ [20].

While Mexico decries the fact that illegals in America have no rights, Mexico seems to be having a lot of trouble treating its own illegals with human decency. Mexico demands an open northern border but receives aid from the United States to secure its own southern border. The simple fact is that Mexico is trying to have its cake and eat it too. Mexico needs to be a little more consistent itself before it runs around pointing fingers at the United States.

[1] Lou Dobbs, “Mexican President Vicente Fox Visits California,” CNN, May 25th, 2006 http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0605/25/ldt.01.html

[2] Ginger Thompson “Mexico Worries About Its Own Southern Border,” The New York Times, June 18th 2006 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/18/world/americas/18mexico.html?ex=1308283200&en=86b86b60a62a7f50&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

[3] U.S. Department of State “Background Notes” http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35749.htm Feb 2007

[4] CIA World Factbook “Guatemala” https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/gt.html June 19th, 2007

[5] Jeffrey Corsetti. “The Maras of Central America and Those Who Flee Their Wrath.” Georgetown Immigration Law Journal, Spring 2006. 20 Geo. Immigr. L.J. 407

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.

[8] George Grayson, “Mexico’s Forgotten Southern Border” http://www.cis.org/articles/2002/back702.html July 2002.