The number of Mexicans leaving their country--almost all for the United States--has reached 400,000 per year and will continue to grow for several more years, the head of Mexico's National Population council said on Friday. (400 thousand, keep that in mind)
"The effort to increase control of the U.S. border has not reduced migratory flows one little bit," Council Secretary General Elena Zuniga said. "After 15 years, what we have seen is a growth in migration, and growth in a way that is much less safe."
Arie Hoekman, the population fund's representative in Mexico, said that "lately, we are seeing a greater flow in undocumented migrants with very low educational levels."
Experts at the meeting noted that migration not only affects the lives of the migrants and the countries to which they emigrate, but also their own hometowns, where relatives receive the money they send home.
"In some places, they've stopped working the land and live off the money (remittances)." Hoekman said.
In the Florida straits, our Coast Guard diligently watches for signs of Cubans trying to reach the shores of America. This past year, they've reported a ten year high--now remember that number? 400 thousand? The ten year high, but don't worry it's not an exodus (yet) drum roll please... 2,368 Cubans have been intercepted this year fleeing castro's tyranny. They are "rescued" at sea, sometimes as close as yards away from freedom and they are almost always sent back to Cuba, where we KNOW fidel gives them a special welcome.
Mexicans are free to leave their country and return, no strings attached. They elect their president. They can read whatever they like. They are free to think and say whatever they like, they have rights, including the right to seek out a better economic life El Norte.
How about Cuba? How many times has castro been elected? Never, he appointed himself for life, no complaints allowed. How about travel? No, no freedom to travel, not even to the local tourist hotel. Intellectual freedom? Nada, fidel prefers book burning Bar B Q's.
This isn't about complaining about all those Mexicans, this is about the cruel injustice of denying refugees fleeing a murderous dictator asylum. End that wet foot/dry foot policy. And oh yeah, which party are we voting for next election?
Read the San Diego Union Tribune article here.
Excellent analysis, Ziva!
I hope the conspiracy of silence around the dry foot wet foot is once and for all broken.
Posted by: CB | 02 December 2005 at 10:37 PM
May your hopes reach Gods ears CB.
Posted by: kathleen | 02 December 2005 at 10:49 PM
good work ziva,we should email this article to bush,the anti cuban hipocrit.
Posted by: tocororo_libre | 03 December 2005 at 07:55 AM
THIS IS FREAKING EXCELLENT KATHLEEN (er I mean Ziva... hmmm... learning something new every day!)
As time goes on I am convinced that this government is and always will care for its own self-interest, which BTW is completely acceptable so long as there is none of this BSing hypocritical politics that we're constantly being spoon fed.
Lets face it, the US Government (be it elephant or be it jack-ass)is as worried about stopping Mexicans from crossing as they are about removing fidel.
In the US undocumented hispanic immigrants do the work that noone else wants to do and get paid less than a seeing eye dog. So they aren't taking away jobs, like republicans want to claim, and they sure aren't a race like the democrats like to claim, classify, and box.
And for Cuba, castro's oppression is a balance to this country's system and ideology, after all, every good guy needs a bad guy: "We in the US are free! And if you don't believe us, just look at poor Cuba."
This is why Clinton never lifted the embargo, and why Bush won't invade. So long as Cuba's counter weight mantains a stability in US politics then US politics' concern for Cuba will only be enough to sway a minority, within a minority, to vote.
Thank for this article Kathleen, it confirms what I've been suspecting since I've started blogging.
Posted by: Songuacassal | 03 December 2005 at 09:28 AM