MEXICAN ELECTIONS COULD MEAN CHANGING IMMIGRATION RELATIONSHIP According to a policy paper produced by the campaign of Mexican President elect Vicente Fox, Mexico should make it a foreign policy priority to work to increase the number of US visas granted to Mexican nationals. Under the plan, the Mexican government would increase efforts at reducing undocumented migration in exchange for the increased numbers of visas.
Each year only about 70,000 Mexicans enter the US with visas, and an additional 300,000 enter without them. Most of those who enter illegally face serious risks on their journey, especially this time of year with the intense desert heat.
Speaking on the ABC Sunday morning news show “This Week,” Mexican president-elect Vicente Fox said that he hopes that the US and Mexico can achieve an open border and end undocumented migration within 10 years. Fox said that he would like to see the US and Mexico have the same border relationship as the US and Canada. He said he understands that this position may shock many in the US, but argued that the success of the European Union with eased migration policies demonstrates that such a change can work. He said that the Mexican government would work to create more jobs in Mexico to ease migration pressures.
According to the campaign paper, the Mexican government should also be prepared to implement a series of reforms designed to deter undocumented migration. Among the proposals are possibly stripping undocumented crossers of their right to communal farmland, and making their families ineligible for some social programs. < Back | Next > Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk. | 
