With the Arizona immigration bill in the headlines, the immigration debate has flared up again. But I want to look at the issue from a different angle.
In 2009, a report was released by the U.S. military which described Mexico as a nation that could pose a threat for "rapid and sudden collapse." (a New York Times article about the report can be found here) Consider for a moment that the United States Joint Command consider Pakistan and Mexico to be equally unstable.
There are varying arguments on both sides as to whether or not Mexico is a failing state. Some think that Mexico has actually acclimated itself to its dire situation,while others see it as an problem for the nation's democracy. However, everyone agrees that the drug violence in Mexico is out of control, and it's only going to get worse.
For the moment, let's entertain the idea that Mexico is a failing state (it sounds that way to me; how else do you describe a nation that has had 0ver 22,000 drug related murders in 3 years, the assassination of political figures and a government that doesn't control all of its territory?). If that's true, then we're no longer dealing with an immigration problem. Instead, what we really have is a refugee crisis on our hands, as Mexicans aren't coming here to chase the American Dream, but are fleeing a violence-torn country with corrupt authorities and ineffectual government.
The question is this: if we see Mexican immigration as a (growing) refugee crisis, how does it affect the current immigration debate? Does it at all?
In 2009, a report was released by the U.S. military which described Mexico as a nation that could pose a threat for "rapid and sudden collapse." (a New York Times article about the report can be found here) Consider for a moment that the United States Joint Command consider Pakistan and Mexico to be equally unstable.
There are varying arguments on both sides as to whether or not Mexico is a failing state. Some think that Mexico has actually acclimated itself to its dire situation,while others see it as an problem for the nation's democracy. However, everyone agrees that the drug violence in Mexico is out of control, and it's only going to get worse.
For the moment, let's entertain the idea that Mexico is a failing state (it sounds that way to me; how else do you describe a nation that has had 0ver 22,000 drug related murders in 3 years, the assassination of political figures and a government that doesn't control all of its territory?). If that's true, then we're no longer dealing with an immigration problem. Instead, what we really have is a refugee crisis on our hands, as Mexicans aren't coming here to chase the American Dream, but are fleeing a violence-torn country with corrupt authorities and ineffectual government.
The question is this: if we see Mexican immigration as a (growing) refugee crisis, how does it affect the current immigration debate? Does it at all?
