Latin America Poses Unique Challenges for the Next US President
by Rocío Ortega
Mexico
Here in Mexico when we think about the upcoming US Presidential election, we immediately think of immigration, the phenomenon that has been such a source of concern and conflict between our countries for years.
The concern is understandable and based on an undeniable reality. Mexico’s proximity to the United States accounts for the largest group of unauthorized immigrants in the United States.
The illegal crossing of Mexicans into the United States has long been an important subject on both sides of the border. In election years, the issue always becomes even more heated, as it was in the 2006 Mexican elections. Before his presidential term ended, former president Vicente Fox visited the United States in an effort to reinvigorate development of an agreement with President George W. Bush regarding Mexican migrants. But Fox returned with nothing more than absurdly optimistic talk about possible immigration reform – a testament to the fact that the issue wasn’t much of a priority for the US government, at least at that time.
Interestingly, now that a critical new election is facing the US, not only Republicans, but now Democrats suddenly seem to be interested in the unauthorized immigrants in their country. From the outside, this seems to be a mere electoral strategy to get the Latino vote; however, the next president of the United States will have to look south of the border. Latin America’s and especially South America’s political and social progress has to be taken into account, as the region is continually advancing its development, and so is no longer willing to be seen only as the United States’ “back yard.”
Mexico and Latin America, with all their new and old problems, pose a series of challenges that the next president of the United Stated must monitor vigilantly.
The next president will have to possess the intelligence, tolerance and capacity to embrace multicultural harmony Latin American countries endeavor to mature politically. The new president must also be willing to address the burden of poverty and inequality in all aspects, as these issues will inevitably continue to cause an increase in immigration.
Most importantly, the next American president will need the wisdom to deal with its southern neighbors in a different manner, as previous administrations have done, avoiding putting either democracy or human rights at risk. The next US president will have to face the unwanted advance of leaders such as Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Evo Morales in Bolivia and Rafael Correa in Ecuador, who, under the flag of “a new socialism,” work to promote truly destructive policies, such as eroding freedom of their press.
To deal with these challenges, the United States will have to be both creative and careful. Latin America will not tolerate military invasion – Panama alone is proof of that. But neither can the United Status allow the obsolete and inflammatory political systems to advance that will put the political, social and economic stability of the region at risk.
According to “Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: January 2005”:
“Mexico was the leading source country for unauthorized immigration with nearly 6.0 million residents in the United States in 2005. El Salvador, Guatemala, India, and China were the next leading source countries, accounting for a combined total of nearly 1.4 million unauthorized immigrants. Among the 10 leading source countries, the annual average increase in the unauthorized population from 2000 to 2005 was greatest among Mexican immigrants (260,000).
However, the greatest percentage increase in the unauthorized immigrant population from 2000 to 2005 occurred among immigrants from India (133 percent) and Brazil (70 percent).”
About the Author
Rocio Ortega is a Mexican journalist with over 18 years of experience currently working as a columnist for the Texas-based Fort Worth Star Telegram Spanish edition, La Estrella. She was also a Texas-based correspondent for the Mexican newspapers, El Norte and Reforma. Rocio received her Masters in journalism and communication from the University of Texas at Austin and is currently a PhD candidate on gender studies at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain.
She is the Public Relations and Communications Coordinator for the Centro de Transporte Sustenable-WRI (Center of Sustainable Transportation) that unites government, community, academia and civil society in an effort to identify, create, solve and evaluate solutions for sustainable urban transportation in Mexico’s cities.
It is important to understand that the image held of USA in Latin America CAN be changed for the better. It is a question of insightful, not impulsive, responses to leaders such as Hugo Chavez and the need for a much less sensitive attitude to criticism from these countries. All they want is to provoke and anger, and the US administration many times falls into the trap. There really is no need. Better to accept criticism, that gives way to the possibility of speaking about improving both the American system – as well as the other country invovled. And it would change the tone in the dialogue for the better.