Immigration
Reform Will Strengthen U.S. Democracy (La Cronica De Hoy, Mexico)
"From a Mexican
perspective, the issue framing President Obama's visit is the rise in political
influence of the 30 million people of Mexican origin living in the United
States, comprising 10 percent of its population. ... President Pena Nieto
should insist on a resolution of the migration issue. ... It is through such a strategic
alliance that the U.S. can change from a democracy of migrants to a democracy
of citizens."
On Thursday, President Barack Obama's fourth visit to Mexico since he
took office in 2009 began. It was President Pena Nieto's second meeting with the U.S.
leader, after having been to the White House once in 2012 as president elect.
The proximity of our countries and intense economic relationship make our
neighborhood unique in the world. Our links revolve around a wide variety of topics,
but have been focused on security issues, drug trafficking and undocumented
migration.
From a Mexican
perspective, the issue framing President Obama’s visit is the rise in political
influence of the 30 million people of Mexican origin living in the United
States, comprising 10 percent of its population. Of those, just over 23 million
have legal resident status, and about 7 million have a migration status of
“undocumented.”
The number of Mexican-born residents has risen in recent
decades, comprising the largest group within the Hispanic community, now
estimated at 48 million people - the determining factor ensuring Obama's re-election.
Seventy one percent of Hispanics voted for him, while only 27 backed the
Republican candidate. Although the demographic weight of the Mexican community is
not yet fully reflected in terms of legislative representation, after Obama’s second electoral triumph, the new
equilibrium prioritized the political
imperative of supporting migration reform in the U.S.
Since Obama was elected president, almost 2 million migrants
have been deported. At this moment, the U.S. Senate is preparing for talks over
migration reform that could, tentatively, benefit 11 million people. Migration
between Mexico and the United States should not be seen exclusively from an
economic perspective, but as a complex social phenomenon generated by the
interaction of historical, social and cultural factors originating on both
sides of the border.
While changing in its intensity and modality, migration has
been a historical constant in our relations. In recent years, migration has
become one of the most disturbing and troublesome on the bilateral agenda. While
our neighbor focuses mainly on foreign policy issues like terrorism, the
economic crisis and drug trafficking, our 2000-mile-common border highlights the urgency of this issue. Mexico and the U.S. are major trading partners, with
transactions currently amounting to four times those before NAFTA was signed. And our country is the
number two market for U.S. exports.
For these reasons, the economic aspects of the Nieto-Obama
meeting are being emphasized. But nevertheless, from the point of view of
Mexican interests, President Peña Nieto should insist
on a resolution of the migration issue.
It is through such a strategic alliance that the U.S. can
change from a democracy of migrants to a democracy of citizens. In his 1835
book Democracy in America, political
scientist and historian Alexis de Tocqueville
wrote as much in discussing the formation of a representative system in the
U.S. He stressed the importance of democratic movements that promote
social transformations that precede political changes. He maintained that
democratic pluralism gives shape to government, laws and political life as a
whole, allowing the people to influence the future of democracy.
Tocqueville doesn't deny the democratic commitment and importance
of freedom in the U.S. political system, where the varying political forces
assumed liberty and equality as core values. Moreover, they made the citizen a
transcendental figure, conceived as an individual with rights and obligations
to the state. Since then, the democratization of America has been an
irreversible process. With this backdrop, President Obama’s visit occurs amid
a debate about the direction of democracy in our countries [Latin America]. In most
of them, systems have been established that involve the rule of law and
competitive elections, strong oppositions, and civil and political liberties
for the population. However, problems remain that demand that we look again at
the obstacles to democratic development in Latin America.
To invigorate our leadership in the region, we must
establish co-operation with our northern neighbor based on new paradigms, projecting
a Mexico with macroeconomic stability that promotes industrial competitiveness,
that is able to reform its inefficient sectors and be politically governable.
It is a moment to state that Mexican democracy is able to bring solutions to
the challenges of our time.
