Is it only right-wing nuts like me who find Mexico's attitude towards American sovereignty to be utterly enraging?
Mexican President Vicente Fox denounced as "disgraceful and shameful" on Wednesday a proposal to build a high-tech wall on the U.S.-Mexico border to stop illegal immigrants.Concerned about the huge numbers of illegal immigrants streaming across the border and worried it could be an entry point for terrorists, a U.S. lawmaker has proposed building two parallel steel and wire fences running from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Coast. But Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has said a wall running the length of a border would cost too much.
Mexico has expressed indignation at the idea.
Fox, speaking in Tamaulipas state across the border from Texas, said such extreme security measures would violate immigrants' rights.
"The disgraceful and shameful construction of walls, the increasing enforcement of security systems and increasing violation of human rights and labor rights will not protect the economy of the United States," he said.
"Immigrants' rights"? I've never heard that immigrants have any rights that others don't have, and last I checked there is no country in the world that doesn't claim the power to regulate who crosses its border.
The fact of the matter is that Mexico's economy and polity are crippled by corruption that's enabled by a flow of money and legitimacy from America. Fighting for democracy in Iraq is noble, but we should turn some attention to our southern neighbor and take some steps to push them towards liberty and respect for the rule of law.
I think it is nearly universal for states to restrict immigration, but I think many of these restrictions are immoral. The US can justifiably restrict immigration to guard against criminals or terrorists, but I can't see any morally justifiable reason to restrict the immigration of Mexicans who want to work in the US. Isn't everyone supposed to have an equal moral status? Why should we treat some people worse because their citizenship?
Even if Mexican immigration were to result in arbitrage, a situation in which the standards of living of Mexicans (or former Mexicans) are brought up as US standards of living are brought down, restricting immigration would still not justified. If our social welfare system cannot support all of the people who might like to use it, than it must be rolled back or scrapped. Why should poor people be treated differently depending on their citizenship?