XPost: ba.politics, dc.media, soc.penpals   
   XPost: alt.burningman   
   From: öbama@treason.com   
      
   Mexico has a radical idea for a rational immigration policy that   
   most Americans would love. However, Mexican officials haven’t   
   been sharing that idea with us as they press for our Congress to   
   adopt the McCain-Kennedy immigration reform bill.   
      
   That’s too bad, because Mexico, which annually deports more   
   illegal aliens than the United States does, has much to teach us   
   about how it handles the immigration issue. Under Mexican law,   
   it is a felony to be an illegal alien in Mexico.   
      
   At a time when the Supreme Court and many politicians seek to   
   bring American law in line with foreign legal norms, it’s   
   noteworthy that nobody has argued that the U.S. look at how   
   Mexico deals with immigration and what it might teach us about   
   how best to solve our illegal immigration problem. Mexico has a   
   single, streamlined law that ensures that foreign visitors and   
   immigrants are:   
      
   in the country legally;   
   have the means to sustain themselves economically;   
   not destined to be burdens on society;   
   of economic and social benefit to society;   
   of good character and have no criminal records; and   
   contributors to the general well-being of the nation.   
   The law also ensures that:   
      
   immigration authorities have a record of each foreign visitor;   
   foreign visitors do not violate their visa status;   
   foreign visitors are banned from interfering in the country’s   
   internal politics;   
   foreign visitors who enter under false pretenses are imprisoned   
   or deported;   
   foreign visitors violating the terms of their entry are   
   imprisoned or deported;   
   those who aid in illegal immigration will be sent to prison.   
      
   Who could disagree with such a law? It makes perfect sense. The   
   Mexican constitution strictly defines the rights of citizens —   
   and the denial of many fundamental rights to non-citizens,   
   illegal and illegal. Under the constitution, the Ley General de   
   Población, or General Law on Population, spells out specifically   
   the country’s immigration policy.   
      
   It is an interesting law — and one that should cause us all to   
   ask, Why is our great southern neighbor pushing us to water down   
   our own immigration laws and policies, when its own immigration   
   restrictions are the toughest on the continent? If a felony is   
   acrime punishable by more than one year in prison, then Mexican   
   law makes it a felony to be an illegal alien in Mexico.   
      
   If the United States adopted such statutes, Mexico no doubt   
   would denounce it as a manifestation of American racism and   
   bigotry.   
      
   We looked at the immigration provisions of the Mexican   
   constitution. [1] Now let’s look at Mexico’s main immigration   
   law.   
      
   Mexico welcomes only foreigners who will be useful to Mexican   
   society:   
      
   Foreigners are admitted into Mexico “according to their   
   possibilities of contributing to national progress.” (Article 32)   
   Immigration officials must “ensure” that “immigrants will be   
   useful elements for the country and that they have the necessary   
   funds for their sustenance” and for their dependents. (Article   
   34)   
      
   Foreigners may be barred from the country if their presence   
   upsets “the equilibrium of the national demographics,” when   
   foreigners are deemed detrimental to “economic or national   
   interests,” when they do not behave like good citizens in their   
   own country, when they have broken Mexican laws, and when “they   
   are not found to be physically or mentally healthy.” (Article 37)   
      
   The Secretary of Governance may “suspend or prohibit the   
   admission of foreigners when he determines it to be in the   
   national interest.” (Article 38)   
      
   Mexican authorities must keep track of every single person in   
   the country:   
      
   Federal, local and municipal police must cooperate with federal   
   immigration authorities upon request, i.e., to assist in the   
   arrests of illegal immigrants. (Article 73)   
      
   A National Population Registry keeps track of “every single   
   individual who comprises the population of the country,” and   
   verifies each individual’s identity. (Articles 85 and 86)   
      
   A national Catalog of Foreigners tracks foreign tourists and   
   immigrants (Article 87), and assigns each individual with a   
   unique tracking number (Article 91).   
      
   Foreigners with fake papers, or who enter the country under   
   false pretenses, may be imprisoned:   
      
   Foreigners with fake immigration papers may be fined or   
   imprisoned. (Article 116)   
      
   Foreigners who sign government documents “with a signature that   
   is false or different from that which he normally uses” are   
   subject to fine and imprisonment. (Article 116)   
      
   Foreigners who fail to obey the rules will be fined, deported,   
   and/or imprisoned as felons:   
      
   Foreigners who fail to obey a deportation order are to be   
   punished. (Article 117)   
   Foreigners who are deported from Mexico and attempt to re-enter   
   the country without authorization can be imprisoned for up to 10   
   years. (Article 118)   
      
   Foreigners who violate the terms of their visa may be sentenced   
   to up to six years in prison (Articles 119, 120 and 121).   
   Foreigners who misrepresent the terms of their visa while in   
   Mexico — such as working with out a permit — can also be   
   imprisoned.   
      
   Under Mexican law, illegal immigration is a felony. The General   
   Law on Population says,   
      
   “A penalty of up to two years in prison and a fine of three   
   hundred to five thousand pesos will be imposed on the foreigner   
   who enters the country illegally.” (Article 123)   
      
   Foreigners with legal immigration problems may be deported from   
   Mexico instead of being imprisoned. (Article 125)   
   Foreigners who “attempt against national sovereignty or   
   security” will be deported. (Article 126)   
   Mexicans who help illegal aliens enter the country are   
   themselves considered criminals under the law:   
      
   A Mexican who marries a foreigner with the sole objective of   
   helping the foreigner live in the country is subject to up to   
   five years in prison. (Article 127)   
      
   Shipping and airline companies that bring undocumented   
   foreigners into Mexico will be fined. (Article 132)   
   All of the above runs contrary to what Mexican leaders are   
   demanding of the United States. The stark contrast between   
   Mexico’s immigration practices versus its American   
      
   immigration preachings is telling. It gives a clear picture of   
   the Mexican government’s agenda: to have a one-way immigration   
   relationship with the United States.   
      
   Let’s call Mexico’s bluff on its unwarranted interference in   
   U.S. immigration policy. Let’s propose, just to make a point,   
   that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) member   
   nations standardize their immigration laws by using Mexico’s own   
   law as a model.   
      
   This article was first posted at CenterforSecurityPolicy.org.   
      
       
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)