Double standard on immigration: while Mexico insists that America should welcome all Mexican nationals with open arms, the Mexican government harshly enforces its own anti-illegal immigration laws.(Cover story)

As the 2008 electoral season heats up, illegal immigration continues to be a front-burner issue, with most of the political elites scrambling to find some way to avoid responsibility for the deluge of illegal immigrants turning America upside down--while allowing the deluge to continue. For roughly two decades now, tens of millions of illegal immigrants, mostly Mexican nationals, have surged north across our virtually unprotected southern border, bringing with them crime, drugs, and other contraband, and above all, a broad-based contempt for American laws.

In the eyes of the Mexican government, the American border should be open for any Mexican nationals who decide to seek work and residency north of the border--with the monies of the American taxpayer available to defray the cost. In recent years, the estimated tens of millions of illegal residents have become increasingly bold, demanding unfettered access to American welfare benefits and medical care, and insisting on unconditional amnesty.

But for the unpopularity among American voters of another amnesty bill like the 1986 fiasco--which granted blanket amnesty to millions of illegals while doing nothing to halt illegal immigration--Congress would likely have granted some form of amnesty already, with the enthusiastic backing of President Bush. The White House website's own policy statement on illegal immigration supports offering permanent residency to illegal aliens already in the United States, after requiring them to pay fines and wait up to 10 years for a visa. This is back-door amnesty by another name, because it ultimately rewards illegal immigrants for breaking the law (and entails far more costly, bureaucratic, and time-consuming measures to deal with the problem than simple deportation would require).

Ironically, Mexico itself, faced with an illegal immigration problem of its own, courtesy of the citizens of even poorer nations to the south, like Guatemala and El Salvador, keeps a close eye on its own borders, and monitors carefully all foreigners inside its borders. In fact, Mexico, with very limited resources in comparison to its larger, wealthier northern neighbor, annually deports more illegal immigrants than does the United States.

According to Mexican immigration law, only foreigners having the money necessary to support themselves and their dependents are permitted inside Mexico. Foreigners who violate immigration laws, including forgery of papers, working without a permit, or overstaying their visas, are routinely and severely punished, often by summary deportation, but sometimes by lengthy prison terms. Illegal immigration is a felony in Mexico, with violators subject to two-year prison sentences. Even airlines and other transportation companies carrying illegal immigrants into Mexico are fined.

Mexico's Unstinting Enforcement

Foreigners, including Americans, who get involved in any way in Mexican politics are not tolerated. Allan Wall, writing for VDARE.com while residing in Mexico, described a fairly recent typical incident and its aftermath: