Immigration and Schools, Part 5: Action

"Guide for the Mexican Migrant," a comic-book style pamphlet published by the Mexican Government to aid would-be illegal immigrants to the United States, has much useful information: how to cross the desert safely, how to demand rights and secure services once in the U. S. and, most interestingly, how to live unobtrusively: "Avoid calling attention to yourself . . . The best formula is not to alter your routine of going between work and home."

Mass migration of its citizens to the U. S. is a priority for Mexico. The $20 billion Mexican immigrants send home annually tops oil exports as a source of foreign income.

More interesting — though seldom reported — are the territorial hopes animating many Mexicans. A sampling of one-minute audio clips by top leaders is worth a listen, as is a rousing one-minute clip by University of California ethnic studies professor Armando Navarro . Indeed, a 2002 Zogby poll found that 58 percent of Mexican citizens agree with the statement, "The territory of the United States' Southwest rightfully belongs to Mexico."

This spring a Spanish-language television station placed 72 billboards throughout Los Angeles showing the Angel of Independence — a well-known monument in Mexico City — in the center of the L.A. skyline. The "CA" was crossed out after "Los Angeles" and the word "Mexico" — in bold red letters — printed next to it. After protests by Governor Schwarzenegger, the station took the billboards down, but you can see one here .

Reconquista passions were on display on May 14 and again on May 26 at Baldwin Park, Los Angeles. An anti-illegal immigration group protested a twenty-foot arch in the town with an inscription reading, "This land was Mexican once, was Indian always and is, and will be again." They were met by lively counter-protestors. Sample the action with photos and video clips. (Beside "More Clips" click on "CLICK HERE" to see a listing of all four clips.)

An unusually heated incident was occasioned by the appearance of Minuteman Project founder James Gilchrist at the Garden Grove (Orange County, CA) Women's Club on May 26. 2 minute video .

America the Safety Valve

Whatever the aims of the Mexican government — economic, territorial, probably some combination, U. S. Presidents Bush and Clinton and recent Congresses have been accommodating. Detailed analysis of construction data and of remittances sent to Mexico as well as extensive interviews of immigrants, business owners, real estate agents and police led Bear Stearns Asset Management to peg the number illegal aliens residing in the U. S. at 18-20 million — far more than the 11-12 million estimate derived from Census data.

Often as not, aliens pouring over the border find immediate work in our growing underground economy, which pays no taxes for the services its workers require. Bear Stearns' Robert Justich says this shadow economy is about to top one trillion dollars. Taxpayers and legitimate businesses pick up the tab. Quoting from the opening paragraphs of the Barron's report, "Going Underground" (Dec. 31, 2004):

America has two economies, and one is flourishing at the expense of the other. First, there's the legitimate economy, in which craftsmen are licensed and employers and employees pay taxes. Then there's the fast-growing underground economy, where millions of nannies, construction workers and others are paid off-the-books, their incomes largely untaxed. The best guess as to the size of the output of this shadow economy is about $970 billion, or nearly 9% that of the real economy. It should soon pass $1 trillion . . . What is largely fueling the underground economy, experts say, is the nation's swelling ranks of low-wage illegal immigrants.

I wish the best for the many good people of Mexico and Latin America — but not at America's expense. American families and children should not bear the burden of a "safety value" role for Latin America's failure to reform its economies, legal systems and education systems. (For what Latin America must do for itself, see Liberty for Latin America: How to Undo Five Hundred Years of State Oppression by Alvaro Vargas Llosa, 2005). Nor should American taxpayers subsidize businesses' growing addiction to exploitable labor (below market wage, often off-the-books).

If America-as-safety-valve and America-as-day-labor-center are not your ideas of what's best for the nation, get involved. Left to special interests — Republican corporate lobbies, Democratic Party strategists, ethnic pressure groups and the Mexican government, the flood of illegal aliens will continue.

Action Alerts

The two best things to do are:

1) Sign up for alerts from NumbersUSA . NumbersUSA is famous for its "Action Buffet," which allows easy, personalized faxing to members of Congress. Click on "Fax Congress Free."

2) Sign up for periodic email legislative alerts from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). At FAIR's website: Click on "What You Can Do" (top left).

Special interests know that their highly organized groups have inordinate sway over legislation because the public does not pay attention . NumbersUSA and FAIR alerts let you know when important legislation is before Congress. This puts the public interest in play. It levels the playing field. Senators and representatives pay attention to phone calls, faxes, letters and email.

An Informed Public: Bane of Special Interests

For those interested in detailed information on the extent of Washington's neglect, I suggest you read excerpts below from a letter I had published in several papers:

Dear Editor:

An informed public will improve the odds of a good outcome in upcoming battles over illegal immigration. Anyone who can find Google and put quotation marks around two or three words can find the reports below.

These offer rich insight on the impact of the President's and Congress' immigration policies on America's families, communities, and governments:

1) An extensive investigation by Bear Stearns Asset Management puts the illegal alien count at 18-20 million, far higher than the 11-12 million estimate based on Census data. See "Going Underground: America's Shadow Economy," Barron's/FrontPageMag.com (Jan. 6).