A Pit thread that mentioned illegal immigration got me thinking: What if the U.S., Canada and Mexico opened their borders to each other such that citizens of each country could move to and work in any of the other countries?
Since Mexican immigration is seen as a problem in the U.S., I can guess at some of the opinions there. But what about U.S. citizens moving to Mexico? If foreigners were allowed to own property there, I can imagine it might be a popular place to retire. Retirees (just as an example) would see their money go farther. Local economies might see a boost due to the ‘rich Americans’ spending money there. I don’t know the state of medical care in Mexico, but I can imagine that if they are especially poor then they may improve as Americans or Canadians demand better care without having to travel back to the States. On the other hand, I can see Mexicans complaining about higher costs and property prices.
There are some Canadians on these boards living in the U.S. They can report first-hand on the problems of immigration here. But I’ve met several Canadians who live and work in the U.S., and I’ve met many Canadians who would not live outside of Canada for anything. If the borders were open and people could find work in any of the countries, I could live in my home in Northern Washington and have a reasonable commute to Vancouver. Works for me. Surely there will be ‘They took ur jobs!’ arguments. But really, how valid is that? I’ve worked with three or four Mexican programmers. Did they take jobs from U.S. citizens? Or were they just the best people for the job?
Social services would have to be adjusted. (I think we all know my position on Universal Health Care.) There are probably other issues to be resolved.
For one, foreigners can own property here and many do.
Two, there are thousands of retirees from Canada and the US permanently and semi-permanently residing here. There are many foreigners operating businesses here.
Three, we have very good health care and private medical insurance costs a fraction of that in the USA. Also foreigners can buy medical insurance through the government Mexican Insitute of Social Security for a pittance.
Americans are buying up coastal property at such a rate, people here ARE being priced out of some markets.
Interesting. I remember reading several years ago that this was not the case. However after reading your response I found this:
What is the ‘restricted zone’?
As I said, I don’t know the state of medical care in Mexico. The U.S. is said to have some of the best medical facilities in the world – at a cost. I had assumed that medical expenses were lower in Mexico, as you point out. I did not intend to disparage Mexican medicine. I’m sorry if it came over that way.
How are the economies in those areas? Does the presence of Americans (and, I assume, others) help the local businesses?
And back to the question: As a Mexican, would you like the borders of the U.S., Mexico and Canada to be opened so that people could live and work where they pleased? Why or why not? (Same question to Canadians and U.S.-ians.)
I’d like it to happen, and I’d give serious thought to moving to Canada if it did happen, but I don’t think there’s a chance in hell that it will, given the current state of paranoia about borders and security in the United States.
There are major legal, economic, social, security, and infrastructure issues with open borders to Mexico, as well as the manifest (and often ignorant) political debate. I’m not saying it’s a bad idea–indeed, after spending the past century to do our best to destabilize governments in the Americas to our assumed benefit, it might be a good idea to change tacks and make some serious effort to foment stable, popular democracies (even those not favorable to our immediate economic interests) in our southern neighbors–but the ultimate impact is difficult to predict. It would certainly mean an even greater loss of industry to the cheaper labor base in Mexico, but that’s happening anyway, and you illustrate several of the potential and likely benefits.
Regarding entitlements, a good deal of the problem today exists in part because of restrictive border and immigration laws. Were we to foster greater economic development and educational opportunities in Mexico we wouldn’t have to expend as much effort in policing the border.
The security issue is, frankly, a red herring. Barring military border enforcement and a permanent high intensity land and marine perimeter around the United States, sneaking people, drugs, weapons, et cetera into the U.S. just isn’t that difficult. “The terrorists”, or whatever boogyman you care to invoke, is just as likely to come via the north or by sea as through Mexico; perhaps even more likely, given the lesser degree of scruitiny. Anybody that starts talking about security being the sine qua non requirement for restrictive borders is pushing your buttons, not making a valid argument.