Writing about immigration got me to thinking about the large number of Mexicans who have been migrating here before there was literally a United States. Spanish speaking people and Mexicans have been coming here since the late 16th century, long before Jamestown and Plymouth Rock. After the Mexican War in 1848, there were far more Mexicans than Anglos in the area that would become California, Arizona, and New Mexico.<\/p>\n
The fact is that the United States and Mexico are joined at the hip by history right up to the present. The asymmetrical nature of the two countries, one extraordinarily rich and powerful and the other far less so, has from the beginning continued to cause seemingly insoluble problems for both. Mexico\u2019s plight was long ago summed up by the words \u201cPobre Mexico! Tan lejos de Dios y tan cerca de los Estados Unidos\u201d which translates \u201cPoor Mexico! So far from God and so close to the United States.\u201d*<\/p>\n
Much has been written about Mexico and Mexicans in regard to the United States. This has become particularly so in recent years with the rise of the drug cartels and the pernicious drug problem in this country. Regardless, the issue of Mexican immigration, both legal and illegal, has always been with us. And the United States from early on has always depended on Mexican labor as it did, for example, during the \u201cBracero program,\u201d welcoming millions of Mexican agricultural workers during World War II. Ever since, Mexicans have continued to \u201cshow up for work,\u201d making themselves an indispensable part of the American economy. The truth is that if today we could deport all the Mexicans, the economy would probably collapse!<\/p>\n
The vast majority of Mexicans who come here obey the laws, work hard, raise their families, and look forward to becoming American citizens. Like all of us, immigrants all, they make needed contributions and within a short time assimilate, becoming \u201cAmericans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Democrats and Republicans, all of us, should want to work together seeking solutions for both countries. I know that there will always be issues that require attention, but I believe that we can do better if we tackle the problems honestly and in an apolitical way. For sure, Mexican immigration as an issue will never go away until positive action agreeable to both countries is realized.<\/p>\n
*A famous quote attributed to Porfirio Diaz, president of Mexico, 1877-1880; 1884-1911. The entire period from 1876 to 1911 is known as the \u201cPorfiriato\u201d in Mexican history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Writing about immigration got me to thinking about the large number of Mexicans who have been migrating here before there was literally a United States. Spanish speaking people and Mexicans have been coming here since the late 16th century, long before Jamestown and Plymouth Rock. After the Mexican War in 1848, there were far more…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-by-robert-fischer"],"yoast_head":"\n