THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN NIGHTMARE
June 27, 2005

            The worst thing that could happen to relations between Mexico and the United States is that a terrorist should illegally cross the southern border and carry out an act of mass destruction on United States’ soil.  That is the Mexican-American nightmare. The consequences would be dire and long-term. But neither of the two countries is doing everything it could to prevent this terrifying scenario.

            This scenario suddenly came up again following the arrest of Amer Haykel, a British citizen of Lebanese descent, in Baja California Sur. Haykel, who was originally identified by the Mexican Attorney General’s office (PGR) as a possible terrorist linked to the September 11, 2001 attacks, was released soon afterwards. Apparently, it was all an embarrassing mistake due to lack of coordination between the Mexican Attorney General’s office and the FBI.  But the incident highlights both governments’ concern regarding a terrorist attack on the United States whose perpetrators enter the country via Mexico.

            And they are right. The United States’ southern border is a real sieve. Every day four thousand people attempt to illegally enter the United States by crossing the Rio Grande in Texas or crossing deserts and mountains in Arizona, New Mexico and California.  Of these, according to Border Patrol data, some three thousand are arrested daily. But one thousand make it through and stay on to live in the United States. That’s what happens, on average, every day at the southern border.

             How do Mexico and the United States know that there isn’t a terrorist among those thousand who get across the border every day? The most serious fact is, that neither of the two governments do know.

            It is obvious that the United States government has lost control of its southern border and that Mexico has not helped it one bit. What good is it to be so careful at US airports if anyone can cross the border on foot or by swimming a river? That is no way to win a war on terror.     

            The vast majority of undocumented immigrants who enter the United States are neither criminals nor terrorists; they are workers who take the jobs that Americans don’t want, and who, thanks to their enormous economic contributions, make this a better country. These people, though they have violated immigration laws, have as their accomplices the millions of US citizens who benefit from their work as well as the thousands of companies that offer them jobs with very low pay.

             But this process, even though it is occurring right before their eyes, is totally out of the US authorities’ control. It is impossible to hide 11 million undocumented people. There they are, in plain sight, but no one knows who they are, or where they live, or anything about their past.

That’s why something must be done.  What?  At least two basic things: 

First, we must legalize the undocumented immigrants who are already living in the United States. I insist, they are not criminals. They pay taxes.  They work very hard.  The contribute to the retirement fund of a population that is rapidly aging. They keep inflation under control. And they therefore deserve to be here legally. They have earned it by the sweat of their brows. And if we don’t want to legalize them for economic or humanitarian reasons, then we must do so for reasons of national security.

And second, we must have a system that would permit a legal and orderly flow of new immigrants into the United States. If they don’t do it legally, they will continue to do so illegally. Hunger is stronger than fear. There must be an immigration agreement between the United States and Mexico, and later with the rest of Latin America. And how many will be allowed in? The market will determine this. But currently, in addition to the one million immigrants who enter legally, another half million do so by illegally crossing the border. A legal and orderly entrance system would permit the continued growth of the industries that so heavily depend on the immigrant workforce—agriculture, manufacturing, construction, services, tourism…--and would give foreigners in desperate need of work a bureaucratic mechanism for getting work in the United States.

That is the only way that the Border Patrol and all the United States police agencies will be able to concentrate on capturing terrorists rather than chasing down innocent, starving people in the desert. Inaction is no option. Something must be done right away.

 If nothing is done, as has been the case until now, the terrifying scenario may become a reality. If a terrorist group gets into Mexico or Central America and later crosses the border into the United States to commit a massacre, the United States’ reaction will be swift and fierce. The border will be militarized. The United States Army will post a guard over the two thousand miles separating the two countries with tanks and warplanes.  Thousands of industries in the United States will suffer terrible economic consequences for lack of cheap labor.  Millions of potential immigrants will remain unemployed in their countries of origin. Poverty and desperation will grow in Latin America.  The amounts of money transfers sent south from the United States will markedly diminish.  And what is worse, bilateral relations will be unavoidably damaged for years to come.

This horrifying scenario can yet be avoided.  That is, terrorism can be fought provided that, at the same time, a permanent and effective solution is found to the problem of undocumented immigrants in the United States. But for that we need visionaries and governments who are committed to solutions and not popularity polls. If nothing is done now, it will soon be too late.