Could U.S. Immigration Policy Be Killing Mexico?

For years, the U.S. had a weak immigration policy when it came to our southern border. Millions of Mexicans and other nationalities from the Americas poured over that border to find jobs in our economy.

This primarily benefited Mexico (and other Central and South American countries) in two ways. It artificially kept unemployment levels lower in that country because those expatriated workers were no longer a burden or counted in as the unemployed in their weak job markets. Secondly, those who could find work here would often send money back to their families in Mexico. That money helped to artificially expand Mexico's overall consumer spending.

To put illegal immigration into perspective, Mexico has a population of about 105 million people. It is estimated that there are 20 to 25 million illegal Mexicans in the U.S. and those Mexican nationals represent about 95 percent of all illegals in residence here. At the very least, 16 percent of Mexico's population is within our borders on an illegal basis. The true number is probably closer to 20 percent.

Some might look at Mexicans seeking and gaining work in the United States as a form of goodwill. However, goodwill, just as in our former welfare system, can wind up being an ill will. Especially when it creates a crutch for the country that is exporting such a high amount of its workforce.

For that reason, the cold winds of ill will may be upon Mexico as a result of this worldwide recession. The flow of illegals into this country might be reversing as jobs are becoming less and less available for those uneducated service-level workers from Mexico. Further, those who remain here aren't getting as much work as they did before and those checks back to their families are probably drying up. This double-edged consequence could greatly impact Mexico's economy. Add to that the fact that imported agricultural crops and Mexican-made products into America has slowed. The economic benefits from the high price of oil have literally collapsed. And, tourist travel is waning. These are all primary sources of income for Mexico's economy. With all that taken away and without the benefits of exported labor, you have an economic disaster looming. Then, what's even more disastrous, the drug lords and street gangs of that country, could be on the brink of completely destroying its governmental structure. For that reason, alone, and not even taking into consideration the economic possibilities, recent U.S. governmental reports seem to think that Mexico, as Democratic neighbor, could be near collapse. (See Full Story).

Mexico is a country in turmoil. Its wealth is concentrated within a very few. The lower class dominates the society. The governments, from local to national, are corrupt. The judicial system is corrupted with payoffs. Before the recession, Mexico was already economically weak. NAFTA helped a bit. But, having millions of illegals in this country has probably helped more. To some extent, the migration of workers into the United States took away Mexico's economic independence. While some politicians, religious leaders, and partisan Hispanic activists in the U.S. thought we should have an open border system, the reality of doing so may have actually created a house of cards for that country.

Mexico would have been better off to stand alone economically. Their dependence on us is just too great. Like everything else swirling around these bad times, we might just find out that, in good times, we could handle these immigrants. Just as in good times, people could live above their means and in homes that they couldn't afford. But, like Bob Dylan wrote, "The times, they are a changing!"

If Mexico does collapse, we can take some of the blame. It will be another glaring example of how disastrous liberal causes and actions can be in the long run. And, that's just my opinion.