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Amnesty program could spark rush to border by Mexican migrants

By Julie Watson, Associated Press, 7/17/2001 17:05

REYNOSA, Mexico (AP) Many in Mexico believe the amnesty proposal being considered by President Bush to bring order to the border could do just the opposite lure a rush of illegal migrants north in hopes of winning U.S. residency.

While experts along the 2,100-mile U.S.-Mexico boundary hope for a permanent reprieve for Mexicans living illegally in the United States, they say Bush's proposal will not stop the flow of border jumpers and could encourage many more to risk the crossing to try to qualify for amnesty.

Experts believe the proposal should be tied to an overall plan to deal with migration.

''It's positive for the people living in the United States without papers who have had no guarantees, no recognition of their rights,'' said Arturo Solis of the nonprofit independent Center for Border Studies and Human Rights in Reynosa. ''But it's not a solution. It's a painkiller. It could provoke more people to migrate. There will be more deaths if we don't combat the causes.''

During a U.S. visit, Mexican President Vicente Fox told the National Council of La Raza meeting in Milwaukee on Tuesday that he wants ''to lend greater security and orderliness to the migrant flows between Mexico and the United States.''

Sitting at a church shelter in the steamy city of Reynosa after being deported from Texas twice in a few days, a haggard 19-year-old Lazaro Pena said he was broke and ready to call it quits for this year until he heard about the possible amnesty program.

Pena and his 17-year-old brother plan to return to their hometown of Tres Valles in southeastern Veracruz state. But they will come back immediately if the United States approves the plan to grant Mexicans legal status.

And so would most of the residents of Tres Valles, a town of 3,000 surrounded by fields of sugarcane, Pena said.

''I know the majority would want to take advantage of this kind of opportunity, just like we would,'' said Pena, resting next to his black ''USA'' duffel bag containing a blanket, sweater, toothbrush and toothpaste. He hoisted the bag over his head as he waded across the Rio Grande before getting caught.

Many of the more than two dozen men at the shelter had heard about Bush's proposal on the evening news. However, there often has been confusion about past amnesty programs, with migrants who wouldn't qualify still trying to make the trip, unaware they would have to remain illegal once they arrive.

Past amnesty programs, like one that granted temporary visas to Hondurans and Nicaraguans after Hurricane Mitch in 1998, have dramatically increased the number of immigration arrests along Mexico's borders.

After the Central American amnesty program was announced, agents in McAllen, Texas, detained twice the number of non-Mexican migrants, nearly all Central Americans.

During his appearance in Milwaukee, Fox outlined several points for a potential Mexican-American agreement that would go farther than just granting legal status to illegal immigrants.

In addition, it would:

Expand the number of U.S. visas given to people on the basis of family ties.

Give Mexican workers expanded opportunities to obtain work visas, so they can enter the United States safely and legally.

Allow Mexican workers, regardless of legal status, access to drivers licenses and university education.

Fuel economic growth in Mexico, thereby reducing the number of people who feel compelled to cross the border.

Humberto Palomares, a regional development expert in Nuevo Laredo, said migration must be viewed as an economic issue to be resolved bilaterally.

If not, he warns ''politicians 20 years from now will be implementing more anti-immigration laws, we'll be seeing more cruel deaths and more (amnesty) programs.''

Since he was 14, Pena has been migrating almost yearly to New York to join his father, who is afraid to return to Mexico for fear he will not be able to return to the United States.

The younger Pena has walked for days through the desert, lugging jugs of water to stay alive, and has crouched in the dirt as the Border Patrol's search lights swept the ground.

In New York, his boss refused to pay him overtime for his 12-hour days delivering pizzas because he said it was a risk to hire an illegal immigrant. He was hit by a car in New York, injuring his back, and believes he was never compensated because he was there illegally.

He hopes to qualify for legal residency so that he doesn't have to continue to risk deportation or his life crossing the border. He could also safely bring his wife with him.

''At least then I could cross with something secure rather than run the risk of being caught like an animal,'' he said.

-- Anonymous, July 18, 2001