Speech #990183133

With the peso at 520 to 1. our goods are simply too expensive for Mexican consumers. That is not simply the fault of a strong dollar. or of Mexicans looking elsewhere for their goods and services. It is a symptom of a broadbased depression in the Mexican economy. The number of apprehensions of illegal aliens in my district is up 40 percent over a year ago. Much of that increase is attributable to a lack of jobs in Mexico. Recent statistics indicate that Mexicans working legally and illegally in the United States send home as much as $1 billion a year.