Tom Friedman of the New York Times recently wrote. -In the 1980s we were worried that Central America was going communist. Now it seems today that people are worried that Central America is going capitalist." Our neighbors want to embrace that economic liberalization and what it can bring. Through the Dominican RepublicCentral American Free Trade Agreement. we will help them continue to make progress against poverty in our hemisphere and reduce the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States. Unfortunately. it is on this very issue of immigration that the DRCAFTA debate has become clouded. There has been some confusion as to the impact of the agreement. and the impact it will have on U.S. immigration law. I would like to set the record straight. There is absolutely nothing in the agreement that affects our immigration laws. To ensure against any ambiguity in that matter. all seven parties to the agreement signed a legally binding document unequivocally saying "No provision of the agreement shall be construed to impose any obligation on a party regarding its immigration measures." That is actually part of the agreement. To make it very clear. nothing in the Central American Free Trade Agreement will in any way modify U.S. immigration law. DRCAFTA fully preserves both existing U.S. immigration law and the power of this Congress to legislate at its discretion on immigration matters. In fact. DRCAFTA fully preserves the power of this Congress to legislate at its discretion on any matter whatsoever. This agreement will not cede our sovereignty or create loopholes in our immigration law. as some have argued. What it will do is lower the tariff and nontariff barriers our producers and service providers currently face. It will strengthen the regional supply chain that helps us compete globally. particularly with regards to China.
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illegal immigrants immigration