Immigration Policy, Mexican Style

Donald Trump remains front and center in the news over his outspoken criticism of ongoing illegal immigration into the U.S. Predictably, other Republican presidential hopefuls are quickly piling on against him. While not refuting any of The Donald’s comments, they are attacking him with more vigor than they ever directed toward President Obama, Harry Reid, or Nancy Pelosi. Trump is standing firm and giving it right back, a reaction largely unknown to most Republicans. Meanwhile, Trump is being vindicated on a daily basis. A young woman murdered in San Francisco by an illegal immigrant previously deported five times. Another illegal alien from Mexico, who was deported last year, killed and burned a Washington woman and her son. Over four thousand illegal alien pedophiles were apprehended in one state in one year. And another illegal immigrant raping and sodomizing a 10-year-old Alabama girl. Are these Mexico’s best and brightest coming to America to do the jobs Americans won’t do?

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush “has always had strong ties with Mexico” and “great respect and affection for our neighbors.” Jeb is also “indignant,” as “he takes Donald Trump’s remarks personally.” So here’s an idea. Let’s reform our immigration system Mexican style. This is how it might look based on Mexican immigration law. Mexico welcomes only foreigners who will be useful to Mexican society, contributing to national progress. Doctors and engineers, yes. Rapists and murderers, no. Mexican authorities must keep track of every single person in the country. How many illegals are in the U.S.? Who knows? Estimates are all over the place. Foreigners with fake papers, or who enter the country under false pretenses, may be imprisoned. Not here. Instead they are lavished with benefits including Social Security, health care, and public education. Foreigners who fail to obey the rules will be fined, deported, and/or imprisoned as felons. Instead, our deportation works like a revolving door. Some illegal immigrants don’t make the news until they have been deported six times and injure young children. Under Mexican law, illegal immigration is a felony. Not so here, where illegal immigrants are considered awesome or role models and invited to visit the White House. Mexicans who help illegal aliens enter the country are themselves considered criminals under the law. What about the U.S. government? What if our government is helping illegal aliens enter the U.S.? The U.S. Department of Agriculture provide leaflets instructing illegal immigrants how they can collect food stamps without admitting they are here illegally. The Mexican constitution expressly forbids non-citizens to participate in the country’s political life. Does that include voting? The U.S. Supreme Court, two weeks ago, decreed that proof of citizenship is not required when registering to vote. The Mexican constitution denies fundamental property rights to foreigners. No problem here. Undocumented immigrants who have the necessary funds can purchase a home in the U.S. Businesses, too. Illegals are America’s newest small-town entrepreneurs. The Mexican constitution denies equal employment rights to immigrants, even legal ones, in the public sector. In Mexico, all immigrants move to the back of the line. Here they move to the front of the line. In Maryland, illegals qualify for in-state college tuition. As of last year, 20 states offered in-state tuition for “unauthorized immigrant students.” Affirmative action also applies to illegals; “[a]dmission officers favor students because of their ‘undocumented’ status.” Foreigners are forbidden to own land in Mexico within 100 kilometers of land borders or within 50 kilometers of the coast. How many illegals own homes in border towns such as El Paso, Laredo, McAllen, and Brownsville, Texas? Or in costal communities in Florida and California? The president of Mexico must be a Mexican citizen by birth, and his parents must also be Mexican-born citizens. Interestingly, this would disqualify our current president and several declared presidential candidates. While these rules may seem harsh, this is how Mexico handles immigration, both legal and illegal, from both her northern and southern borders. I suspect that in the unlikely event that Mr. Trump makes his way to the White House, he will adopt Mexico’s immigration law as our own. After all, he would be simply reaffirming President Obama’s remarks about “a strong relationship between the United States and Mexico” and how “Mexico is sharing expertise with neighbors across the Americas.” Or as they say, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Brian C Joondeph, M.D., MPS a Denver-based physician and writer. Twitter @retinaldoctor.