Mexican wives ask that their husbands return ….
posted by Unixxstar
By Stephen Dinan
The women of Tecalpulco, Mexico, want the U.S. government to enforce its immigration laws because they want to force their husbands to come back home from working illegally in the United States.
They have created an English-language Web page where they identify themselves as the “wetback wives” and broadcast their pleas, both to their men and to the U.S. government.
“To the United States government — close the border, send our men home to us, even if you must deport them (only treat them in a humane manner — please do not hurt them),” it reads.
In poignant public messages to their husbands, the women talk about their children who feel abandoned, and worry that the men have forsaken their families for other women and for the American lifestyle.
“You said you were only going to Arizona to get money for our house, but now you have been away and did not come back when your sister got married,” one woman writes to a man named Pedro. “Oh how I worry that you have another woman! Don’t you love me? You told me you love me.”
It’s a stark reminder of an often forgotten voice in the U.S. immigration debate — the wives, children, parents and villages left behind as millions of workers come to the U.S., many of them illegally. The plea also underscores the dual effects of migration on Mexico: Its economy needs American jobs as an outlet for workers, but determined, able-bodied workers get siphoned out of Mexico.
More than 10 million Mexican-born people, or nearly one out of every 10, was living in the United States in 2005. And as a percentage of the work force it’s even higher: One in seven, or 14 percent, were here, according to the Migration Policy Institute. The institute said 77 percent of Mexican workers in the U.S. were younger than 45, and 70 percent were men.
Villages devoid of men between 20 and 50 are common in many parts of the country. The stories of single mothers struggling to raise their children are just as frequent.
The women of Tecalpulco have come up with one way to cope. They run an artists’ cooperative to sell traditional-style jewelry, including through the Internet. The page where they make their personal pleas, www.artcamp.com.mx/venga/, is a part of their Web site.
One of the women writes to “Ruben” telling him their children haven’t seen him in three years and ask where he is.
“I know we agreed you should try your fortune in the United States, but I didn’t know that it would be so lonely and that you would be gone for such a long time, please return to us,” she writes.
Mexican officials are aware of the social and economic consequences to their towns and villages. But businesses and government officials on both sides of the border also acknowledge a sort of grand bargain — the U.S. gets cheap labor, while Mexico has an outlet for its unemployed, who in turn send cash back home.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon in December, while visiting Nogales on the U.S.-Mexico border, said his country needs more foreign investment to try to keep jobs at home.
“The generation of well-paid jobs is the only long lasting solution to the migration problem,” he said, according to the Associated Press.
But for now, Mexico is also addicted to the influx of cash. In 2006, Mexican workers in the United States sent $23 billion back to their families in Mexico, an amount that rivals Mexico’s foreign income from oil sales.
Steven Camarota, research director for the Center for Immigration Studies, which backs less immigration and a crackdown on illegal aliens, said the women’s stories show that the huge migration flow is “very disruptive to the lives of those other countries.”
He said it also proves that the men aren’t fleeing poverty.
“These women would not be asking their husbands to come back if they themselves were starving,” he said. “It’s really more of people wanting more, a better life. It’s perfectly understandable. But that’s different than these people fleeing such desperation there’s no way you could enforce the law.”
End of article
Steven Camarota deals another blow to the popular image of Mexican workers in the role of “economic asylum seekers”. In any event , the article underlines the devastating effect of outsourcing your own workers…. As I’ve said many times, the tidal wave of colonialists from Latin America is good for no one – except CEO’s. As for Felipe Calderon – you had better do a lot better than your predecessor Mr. Fox in reducing poverty in Mexico and foreign investments are the least of your worries. If Oaxaca is any indication, we can only dare to dream that the Mexican people will soon reach a breaking point with you and your government. The people of Mexico deserve a far better legacy than a 40% poverty level and leaving the country as one of the few alternatives to a better life.
http://www.vdare.com/
Could you tell me what the wife website is..thanks
I am pleased that you are covering this issue of family separation, the pain that migration can cause, and the potential that small-scale economic development has to deter Mexican migration north. But, the solution – massive deportation – is not as simple as the wetback wives would suggest. Deporting around 8 million Mexicans would create as much chaos in home countries as it would in U.S. communities, where migration and integration have changed the face of Mexican and U.S. society.
Deportation can’t magically adjust the uneven relationship between Mexico – one of the poorest nations in the world – and the U.S – the richest. Nor can it eliminate the fact the two countries share a near 2,000 mile border that will always be semi permeable. You can’t reverse the force of economic liberalization. Open borders have resulted in the loss of many low-wage jobs in Mexico and a growing demand for low-skill labor in the U.S. We’d have to dig deeper into the cottage industry that the woman of Tecalpulco have established in order to really assess whether or not they have created enough jobs and money to keep their men fully employed at home. But having recently conducted research nearby Guerrero – probably the poorest state in Mexico – I highly doubt that the cottage industry will support the entire community. After all, if it were such a dynamite local economy, wouldn’t their husbands come home out of their own volition instead of needing to be forcefully deported by U.S. immigration?
Deportation can’t normalize a migration pattern that has depended on years and years of illicit trafficking, hiding in the shadows, and whole industries that place undocumented immigrants in U.S. jobs.
Most importantly – and the truth that these women in Tecalpulco do not want to believe – is that mass deportation cannot address the deep emotional scars that years of family separation have created.
Yes, we need to get control of our borders – but any enforcement-only approach will fail us all. First, we need to create fair and humane vehicles for immigrant workers to migrate to the U.S. legally to fill jobs. Unlike past visa programs that have created a second class citizenry, any visa program must provide full labor protections, allow workers to bring their immediate families, and create paths to permanent residency and citizenship. Second, we need to legalize the 12 million undocumented workers that are already here, and let them decide (based on their jobs, economic, and social situations) whether they want to return to Mexico or remain in the U.S. Third, we need to provide solid integration programs that help immigrants to learn English and assimilate into U.S. society; anyone that works in the U.S. today represents our nation’s talent in the future, and we can’t be lax about preparing our future citizenry in this day in age. And lastly, we need to help Mexico develop industries that keep workers at home. It’s hard to keep people in a country where they can make 10x as much north of the border. But if you create the right financial and academic incentives, and create a Mexico rich in opportunities for the average man and woman, the U.S. will be the nation pleading for more open borders and struggling to attract Mexican immigrants.
Look, none of these problems are simple. And I know how painful it is for many women who have all but been abandoned in Mexico. But, how dare anyone use the personal pain of these families to promote immediate deportation of all undocumented immigrants? We need a comprehensive solution. All this other stuff is just the wishful thinking that creates false hope, and keeps people living in dreams instead of in reality.
Response to Humanist
The point of the article is to show that even many Mexicans are suffering in the current situation.
While I agree with you that the creation of a cottage industry is not going to be sufficient to bring a majority of the husbands back home, I disagree on some other points.
As you pointed out, the situation is multi-faceted – but it IS NOT complex. The duty of the Mexican government is towards her people – and she has failed. The duty of the U.S. government is to protect her people and her borders – and she has failed.
You spoke of “wishful thinking”, Humanist , yet there is quite a bit in your own reply….
Let’s take assimilation. According to my own maxim, the percentages of Mexicans and other Hispanics in the U.S. has reached a level where they are not likely to be assimilated any time soon. This, along with the unfortunate policies of the U.S., has created a situation which aids and abets non-assimilation.
This was READILY apparent to anyone whom watched the May Day marches last year. Indeed, with pressure from La Raza & LULAC, it is WE English-speaking Americans who increasing feel pressure to learn Spanish….
It is also wishful thinking to imagine that any program created by the U.S. govt. will be fair & equitable. Not going to happen.
The temporary workers will be taken advantage of by both the U.S. ,Mexico and other groups just as always. The government is not capable of managing a program that involves this many people.
You state that the workers should be allowed to bring their families as well – in the name of God, why? Are they here to actually work – or simply continue the colonization?
What do you mean by “how dare they use the personal pain of these families …” It is the FAMILIES themselves that are asking their husbands be deported!
The U.S. government is going to have to have immigration laws that much more closely resemble those of Mexico’s. And Mexico is going to have to have some sort of revolution in order to restore their economy. Mexico has few excuses, being a land rich in many natural resources and rich in her people. But Mexico is addicted to drug money as well as human trafficking, and this has got to change.
One thing we both agree on – this situation cannot go on indefinitely. Until the U.S. government can prove to her people that she is willing to enforce her immigration laws [ which includes deportation as a major component ] and TRULY secure the borders, any amnesty or so-called “temporary guest-worker” program will not be tolerated.
P.S. We’ve been trying to help Mexico “develop her industries” for many many decades, and the only thing that has been developed is the bank accounts of Mexican leaders.
What you seem not to understand, Humanist, is that the U.S.government DOES NOT have a responsibility to Mexican nationals. It only has a responsibility towards American citizens. Let me repeat this: Amnesty and guest worker programs will only encourage more illegal immigration, and will further decrease Mexico’s incentive to solve her own problems.
To believe otherwise is just wishful thinking.