AZ Alert: Lawmaker: Aid to Mexican States is Cheaper Than Border Security

Santa Fe New Mexican ^ | 01/10/2003 | Associated Press

[hsmomx3]

TUCSON, Ariz. - Economic aid targeted to 50 regions in just six Mexican states could cut illegal immigration to the United States in half, a Mexican congressman said Thursday.

Eduardo Arnal Palomera, one of four lawmakers from Mexico on a three-day trip to Tucson to meet with local, state, federal and Indian officials, said American contribution toward Mexico's economic development would be mutually beneficial in helping solve his country's illegal immigration.

Lack of jobs and economic desperation is what drives hundreds of thousands of Mexicans to cross the border illegally every year seeking jobs here, according to Arnal Palomera.

He said the situation is most difficult in the states of Oaxaca, Zacatecas, Puebla, Guanajuato, Guerrero and Chiapas.

"It's cheapest for the United States to help Mexico to grow" by stimulating jobs and industry there than to continue to pay for "security, helicopters, Border Patrol, fences, walls," Arnal Palomera said.

He said he planned to deliver the same message during a scheduled meeting Friday with southern Arizona Reps. Jim Kolbe and Raul Grijalva.

The delegation met with Gov. Janet Napolitano for nearly a half-hour behind closed doors to discuss illegal immigration-related issues, including efforts of private groups patrolling the Arizona border.

Congressman Tarcisio Navarrette Montes de Oca, who headed the delegation, said the group proposed creating a binational working group of state, local and federal officials "to study, analyze and propose an urgent solution" to soaring deaths of Mexican migrants trying to cross the Arizona desert.

A record 145 illegal immigrants died during the past fiscal year, including 83 of heat exposure.

Arnal Palomera said he and his colleagues were concerned that ranchers and groups organizing patrols along the Arizona border have weapons and could cause a confrontation with illegal immigrants leading to violence.

Navarrette Montes said he hopes "to find a win-win solution for both countries and promote protection for human rights and we are open to promote commercial and economic exchange."

The group also met with Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup and the Tucson-Mexico Trade Office to develop new ways for improving trade activities - including improved rail connections.

©Santa Fe New Mexican 2003

[discostu]

And I repeat: that's what the money should be used to try to fix. No where am I supporting a blind gift, no where are the people in this article calling for a blind gift. Focused expenditure of money to fix the root problem. It can be done. Now do you have a counter to what I'm ACTUALLY saying or are you going to continue to errect strawmen and place false words in my mouth?

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Simple solution - we print pesos and hand them out at the border.

Lol hey that's a great idea. It's not like it will cause Mexico's economy to implode since it's already at the bottom.

[RJL]

It's not a matter of fault it's a simple matter of solution. If we want to solve the problem that's the best solution, like most functional solutions determining who screwed up is really a waste of effort. I think it's a crappy answer too, but it's the one that'll work.

I have a good solution that will work. Deduct all our expenses spent dealing with Mexican illegals from our foreign aid to Mexico.

I guarantee Mexico will snap the border closed in a heartbeat.

[dasboot]

Vincente muses," Hmmmm, we make trouble, the U.S. pays; therefore, more trouble must we make!"

Dasboot muses, "Bass Akwards!: we should make it too expensive for Mexicans to flout U.S. law!"

[dennisw]

TUCSON, Ariz. - Economic aid targeted to 50 regions in just six Mexican states could cut illegal immigration to the United States in half, a Mexican congressman said Thursday.

A stinking lie. Don't believe a word from creepy Mexican politicos. They will tell any lie they think will resonate with our stupid liberals.

[discostu]

But again you have to find out IF they're employing illegals, then you've got to prove it in a court of law. Neither of these tasks are all that easy.

That is the problem, Mexico sucks and people are willing to walk hundreds of miles in the desert in July to get the hell out of the place. I don't know if you've been out in the desert in July, but doing 5 minutes outside in 110 degrees will teach you a lot about how crappy Mexico is.

Again I don't see ANYONE calling for "pouring money in", I see people calling to fix the problem which WILL require money, nothing in this world is free. I don't know why everybody on your side of this debate insists on describing what their asking for in terms that they aren't asking for. They are specifically looking for money to fix the border provinces by encouraging business and ownrship. They're even smart enough to want to focus efforts on the border provinces where it will have the most effect on illegal immigrants.

Oh yea another doom crier, we need a new section on FR for people predicting the end of America so the rest of us can ignore. No doom crier has been right yet, the empirical evidence is against you.

[4Freedom]

There are roughly 4 million people living in Puerto Rico, that's approximately 1 million families.

We're sending Puerto Rico between $15 to $20 billion dollars this year alone. That's a check for $15 to $20 thousand dollars to every family in Puerto Rico from the U.S. Taxpayers.

We've been sending Puerto Rico billions every year like this for decades and they are nowhere near able to stand on their own!

If we go down the same road with Mexico that we did with Puerto Rico, we'll never see an end to it.

[BenR2]

Arnal Palomera said he and his colleagues were concerned that ranchers and groups organizing patrols along the Arizona border have weapons and could cause a confrontation with illegal immigrants leading to violence.

Why, we can't have any of that! Defending their land, like the original Patriots who shed their blood defending their farms and villages against the British?

Don't they know: Someone might get hurt! Tell them to just surrender (their property, their rights, their liberty). Nobody is going to "hurt" anyone, just so long as everyone bows down and worships Big Brother!

[JustAnAmerican]

"Things aren't coming to a boil, there isn't going to be a revolution, people have been making the same dire predictions as long as I've been alive and probably longer and they have yet to be right even once."

Guess my memory must be failing me then.When has there ever been an event like 9-11? When in the history of this country have we had this many illegal aliens enter in such a short span of time? Hell even the immigration events of the late 1800's and early 1900's at least brought people to this country that worked hard, and learned and taught their children English. What part of illegal in illegal-aliens don't you understand?
(/Sarcasm on)
Heck since we can never hope to catch and lock up all criminals why not just stop trying? Thats what it sounds like you are saying to me. Since you don't think we can do it then lets not try. Lots of folks that rob others for a living would probably not do it any more if we just paid them to stop right?
(/sarcasm off)
The point is that you may not think Americans are tired of this Pay em off or Give em amnesty cr*p, and in your mind maybe you really believe that, but most Americans are fed up with the illegal immigration problem.

[discostu]

I like that solution, smooth and effective, with just a hint of "f#ck off". That's the kind of solution that speeks to me. Hard to sell to the rest of the country though, unfortunately there just aren't enough of us cold blooded realists in the world.

[johnb838]

Wait till the uninspected big rigs with the drivers on speed start slamming into the soccer sluts SUVs. Maybe that will wake people up.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Mexico has 100 million people. We would go broke in a year if we made them part of our welfare system.

[discostu]

Unfortunately 9-11 has nothing to do with the illegal alien population. I know it's popular to insists terrorists can be streaming across the Mexican border but it ain't happened yet and the way we give away visas I think the bad guys would have to be particularly dumb to go that route.

We say NOW that the immigration boom of the late 1800s and 1900s brought in hardworking good people. That's not what people said then. People said then a lot of the same things they're saying now about Mexicans.

Cute sarcasm but again you're errecting strawmen that show your own ignorance. Nowhere have I said we shouldn't do everything possible to apprehend and deport illegal aliens. What I was addressing was your call to "round them all up", which can't be done and is therefore a silly idea for a solution. All solutions to problems should remain in the realm of the possible. It's possible to increase enforcement and capture and deport many illegals, and that should be done. It is not possible to capture all of them.

The point is that activity at the ballot box proves that about the only blanket statement you can make about most Americans is that they don't give a crap. You're simply projecting you're beliefs onto America, or possibly you spend a lot of time hanging out with your own people and are projecting their beliefs on the country. I make it a point to visit enemy territory periodically. While I see a problem, and you see a problem, most Americans aren't even paying enough attention to know there could be a problem.

[Tripleplay]

I called it venture capital. No one will invest in Mexico because the risk / reward ratio is not favorable.

Don't get snippy. It's nothing personal. I have an opinion and you have one.

[discostu]

Been on the highways in the last decade? That already happens with American drivers, doesn't seem to be getting people up in arms. I doubt that having a few Mexican drivers join the club will even register.

[Paulus Invictus]

And where the heck is LAFTA during all this economic trouble in Mexico? Seems to me that the Felon himself and all his supporters in Congress promised that LAFTA would cure Mexico's ills? Was that another stupid mistake on his part? Errr, could be!

[grania]

A record 145 illegal immigrants died during the past fiscal year, including 83 of heat exposure.

Arnal Palomera said he and his colleagues were concerned that ranchers and groups organizing patrols along the Arizona border have weapons and could cause a confrontation with illegal immigrants leading to violence.

Uhhh.....is this the best they can do for spokespersons for their silly requests? Why is he afraid of the Arizona border patrols? Maybe they'll find some of the Mexicans who are dying of heat exposure and save their lives.

Anyway, why is he concerned about the perceived possibility of violence (which hasn't happened)? Why isn't he talking about the fact that the Mexicans who crossed the border illegally are responsible for their own deaths?

This handout he wants sounds like blackmail. What is he saying? Send us the money we would've made by entering the US illegally and taking your jobs and we'll stay home and do nothing. What arrogance.

The US government should tell this fool that we're going to use the money instead to close the border and Mexico can take care of its citizens. A responsive government that put US citizens first would be really, really, angry at this attempted extortion.

[discostu]

Venture capital is from private hands and used differently. Most of the issues VC people would have with Mexico are government problems (lack of infrastructure, corruption) and are best solved by a government (ours or theirs, doesn't much matter).

I reserve the right to get snippy when people put words in my mouth. That's not differing opinions, that's deliberate misrepresentation of what I said. And I'll go well past snippy into down right pissed off when people start lieing about what I said.

[txdoda]

I think it's a crappy answer too, but it's the one that'll work.>>>>>>>>

Just HOW many third world countries do you think the
"good 'ol USA (TAXPAYERS)" can support?

Our gov. cannot take care of US, why should we now *support*
40 million more poor mexicans, while mexico continues to
do (PAY) nothing ??

Our military on the border could put a stop to thousands
crossing the borders daily.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

No one who pushed NAFTA will admit what a miserable failure it is. We will pay for that sellout treaty for years to come.