George,

      It’s been interesting to follow the immigration debate from this side of the border over the past few weeks, and especially to observe the strange bedfellows that have emerged.

      It’s of course obvious that illegal immigrants are among the most hardworking, wonderful people we have, and also massively exploited on both sides of the border. At the same time it seems to me it’s clearly in the interest of elites on both sides of the border to encourage continued illegal immigration. For wealthy Americans immigrants help to depress wages for all lower tier workers, while providing a vast range of services that would otherwise become inconveniently costly - from lawn care to child care. For Mexican elites, US emigration provides a convenient “safety valve” that allows a grossly unjust economic structure to continue relatively unchallenged. If the US border were sealed, there would be a revolution in Mexico, something that would be almost as threatening to US elites as to those in Mexico.

      The losers in the current regime are poor Americans who are forced to compete with desperate Mexicans and of course the Mexicans themselves who must live in the shadows, with no civil or economic rights, just to feed their families. What could be better for the elites on both sides of the border?

      Frankly, these observations make me look with skepticism on current efforts to facilitate and normalize immigration from Mexico. Wouldn’t it be better to protect our own poor workers and increase pressure on Mexico to make the fundamental changes that are needed to create real social justice for its citizens? Mexico is poor because it’s run by a kleptocracy that won’t relinquish power until it’s forced to. My forecast is that the borders will remain open, in the name of humanitarian concern, so the current exploitation can continue unabated.

Brad
Cambridge MA