Mexico's Immigration Law

Mexico's Immigration Law: Let's Try It Here in the USA

Mexico has a radical idea for a rational immigration policy that most Americans
would love. However, Mexican officials haven't been sharing that idea with us as
they press for our Congress to adopt the McCain-Kennedy immigration reform bill.

That's too bad, because Mexico, which annually deports more illegal aliens than
the United States does, has much to teach us about how it handles the
immigration issue. Under Mexican law, it is a felony to be an illegal alien in
Mexico.

At a time when the Supreme Court and many politicians seek to bring American law
in line with foreign legal norms, it's noteworthy that nobody has argued that
the U.S. look at how Mexico deals with immigration and what it might teach us
about how best to solve our illegal immigration problem. Mexico has a single,
streamlined law that ensures that foreign visitors and immigrants are:

in the country legally;
have the means to sustain themselves economically;
not destined to be burdens on society;
of economic and social benefit to society;
of good character and have no criminal records; and
contributors to the general well-being of the nation.
The law also ensures that:

immigration authorities have a record of each foreign visitor;
foreign visitors do not violate their visa status;
foreign visitors are banned from interfering in the country's internal politics;
foreign visitors who enter under false pretenses are imprisoned or deported;
foreign visitors violating the terms of their entry are imprisoned or deported;
those who aid in illegal immigration will be sent to prison.