Mexico's Migration Plans

The government of Mexico has a full-page advertisement in today's Washington Post (3/20/06, page A11).  It's titled "A Message From Mexico About Migration."

The ad tells how Mexico's Federal Congress adopted "Mexico and the Migration Phenomenon" on February 16, 2006.  This document "sets forth important guiding principles, recommendations and commitments to update Mexico's migration policy."  The ad is intended to "offer you, our friends and neighbors in the United States, some of these thoughts as your leaders debate immigration policy."

Six points are presented in the section "Principles."  One item states:  "Mexico's migration policy acknowledges that as long as a large number of Mexicans do not find in their own country an economic and social environment that facilitates their full development and well being, and that encourages people to stay in the country, conditions for emigrating abroad will exist."

In the section titled "Recommendations & Commitments," seven items are listed.  One states:  "Mexico's north and south borders must be secured and fortified, with an emphasis on the development of the border regions."

The final section of the ad is "Elements Related To A Possible Immigration Reform In The United States" and has seven points.  The first five address a "guest worker program."  The sixth point states:  "Other programs should be developed to establish a bilateral medical insurance system to cover migrants and their relatives, and adjustments should be made to pension benefit programs, which will allow Mexicans working in the United States to collect their pension benefits in Mexico."

Kent Snyder