By: Daniel Nardini
The U.S.-Mexico Governors Conference, held recently in Ensenada, Mexico, really produced nothing. Out of the six Mexican states bordering the United States, only four Mexican governors came to the conference. The U.S. side was worse. Out of the four U.S. states bordering Mexico, only one governor—New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez—went to the conference. The other states were for the most part not represented at all. Arizona and California sent low level aides to the conference. Texas sent no one at all. Mexican President Felipe Calderon sent high level officials to the conference.
This type of meeting of border governors from both countries, which has been going on since 1980, seems to have lost its appeal for those American politicians whose states border Mexico. This should not be the case. Mexico is the most important neighbor for this country (along with Canada). Millions of Mexican tourists, business people, families and even workers and students pass from the Mexican side into the U.S. Likewise with Americans going to Mexico. Important topics like the tourist trade, manufacturing, environmental and water concerns (yes, the drought that affects the U.S. State of Texas also affects the bordering Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila and Tamaulipas), the arms smuggling from the U.S. side, the narco-drug war violence from the Mexican side, and the issue of immigration are regularly discussed at these governor meetings. These issues are not just important for the bordering states but also nationally for both Mexico and the United States.
Even if the United States is involved in other parts of the world, state and federal politicians in America should be concerned about the stability and welfare of a neighboring country. That this is not the case is incomprehensible. Only New Mexico’s governor seems to understand the importance of such a meeting—the other governors have basically boycotted these meetings over immigration. But these meetings encompass more than just the issue of immigration, and the lack of interest in regards to Mexico by U.S. state politicians seem to mirror the national fixation with the Middle East, South Asia and terrorism. Since 2001, America’s foreign and in too many ways its domestic policies have been dominated by the whole topic of terrorism, and it almost seems that nothing else matters. It has even affected American politicians’ thinking about immigration. Immigrants are now seen as possible links to terrorism—not as a separate issue on how to fix a broken immigration system.
There is one other very important factor in all this that is being lost—the economic factor. If we do not deal with the lack of jobs in both Mexico and the United States, the economic upheavals we are both experiencing from what is being called the Great Recession, and how the lack of jobs is sending Mexicans to the United States, then we as a people and nation are sticking our heads in the sand and not dealing with putting both Americans and Mexicans back to work and resolving our problems within our two countries and as neighbors. The U.S.-Mexico Governors Conference is one important key to all of this. It is very sad that our politicians have forgotten the basics of how to deal with a neighbor, how to bring prosperity and stability to our own borders, and how to fix immigration and jump-start our economy.
The Conference that Disappointed
By: Daniel Nardini
This type of meeting of border governors from both countries, which has been going on since 1980, seems to have lost its appeal for those American politicians whose states border Mexico. This should not be the case. Mexico is the most important neighbor for this country (along with Canada). Millions of Mexican tourists, business people, families and even workers and students pass from the Mexican side into the U.S. Likewise with Americans going to Mexico. Important topics like the tourist trade, manufacturing, environmental and water concerns (yes, the drought that affects the U.S. State of Texas also affects the bordering Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila and Tamaulipas), the arms smuggling from the U.S. side, the narco-drug war violence from the Mexican side, and the issue of immigration are regularly discussed at these governor meetings. These issues are not just important for the bordering states but also nationally for both Mexico and the United States.
Even if the United States is involved in other parts of the world, state and federal politicians in America should be concerned about the stability and welfare of a neighboring country. That this is not the case is incomprehensible. Only New Mexico’s governor seems to understand the importance of such a meeting—the other governors have basically boycotted these meetings over immigration. But these meetings encompass more than just the issue of immigration, and the lack of interest in regards to Mexico by U.S. state politicians seem to mirror the national fixation with the Middle East, South Asia and terrorism. Since 2001, America’s foreign and in too many ways its domestic policies have been dominated by the whole topic of terrorism, and it almost seems that nothing else matters. It has even affected American politicians’ thinking about immigration. Immigrants are now seen as possible links to terrorism—not as a separate issue on how to fix a broken immigration system.
There is one other very important factor in all this that is being lost—the economic factor. If we do not deal with the lack of jobs in both Mexico and the United States, the economic upheavals we are both experiencing from what is being called the Great Recession, and how the lack of jobs is sending Mexicans to the United States, then we as a people and nation are sticking our heads in the sand and not dealing with putting both Americans and Mexicans back to work and resolving our problems within our two countries and as neighbors. The U.S.-Mexico Governors Conference is one important key to all of this. It is very sad that our politicians have forgotten the basics of how to deal with a neighbor, how to bring prosperity and stability to our own borders, and how to fix immigration and jump-start our economy.