Speech #1030061302

Now. Madam Speaker. the fourth point I would like to make is the one I referred to in my opening remarks. That is the North American FreeTrade Agreement as it relates to one of the most pressing problems that those of us who live in southern California face. that of illegal immigration. Now PETERSON and BROWN close their column by claiming that NAFTA will exacerbate the problem of illegal immigration from Mexico. Those of us from southern California. as I said. know better than most the problems caused by illegal immigration. and I have been working diligently with my colleagues to fight them. and I am happy to say again that we are increasing the Border Patrol so we can deal with that problem right there on the front line. Brown and Peterson state that. and I quote. even the proNAFTA experts predict increased illegal immigration resulting from NAFTA. and they specifically cite again the Hufbauer and Schott study. Again. Madam Speaker. they appear to have misunderstood or clearly misrepresented this study. On page 25 of the Hufbauer study it states. and I quote. that Mexican immigration is likely to increase in the short run for reasons having nothing to do with NAFTA. Now let me repeat that. They cite this study. the HufbauerSchott study. indicating that illegal immigration is going to Increase with the implementation of NAFTA. and yet the study itself on page 25 states that Mexican immigration is likely to increase the short run for reasons having nothing to do with NAFTA. That is a pretty important fact they leave out. In reality. Madam Speaker. the desire to stem the flow of illegal immigration. illegal immigrants entering our country from Mexico. is clearly one of the most important reasons that I support NAFTA. Emigration from Mexico is primarily driven by poverty. A poor southern neighbor is likely to be a constant source of immigrants for the United States. On the other hand. a prosperous Mexico will pose little threat to the United States and be as good a neighbor as Canada is now. Let us look at this very important immigration question a little more closely. As I say. why is it that Mexicans illegally cross the border and come into the United States? It is easy. Mexicans illegally emigrate in search of one thing. economic opportunity. whether it is in the form of a job. employment opportunities or the tremendous welfare system that we at the Federal level impose on State and local governments. mandating that they provide health care. welfare. education. criminal justice. a wide range of government services that are not provided in Mexico. A study by the National Commission for Employment Policy indicates that in the short run. for reasons having nothing to do with NAFTA. immigration from Mexico is likely to increase by four to five million immigrants. What then will slow Mexican illegal immigration? Now I remember very well listening to President Salinas do Gortari when he said that our goal is to export products. not people. The most effective way to fight immigration is to reverse the desire of Mexicans to leave. and again I support strongly this Border Patrol effort to block them at the border. But we need to provide an incentive for them to stay. and the best incentive to keep Mexicans in Mexico would be the availability of the very jobs and opportunities that they seek. The Mexican economy must offer more economic opportunity to the Mexican people.