Voices of Mexico no. 74

Our Voice

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed Bill HR4437, the Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, presented by James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisconsin). The bill, now slated for final review and ratification by the Senate, once again makes migration the most important point on the U.S.-Mexico bilateral agenda, despite the failure of binational policies in the matter.What is more, the issue has become a matter of state both for Mexico and the United States.

The bill introduces new proposals, like the construction of a 700-mile-long fence along several sections of the border, the criminalization of employers who repeatedly hire undocumented workers and deportation of the latter. It does not mention any incentives for undocumented immigrants, such as naturalizing those who have resided a certain amount of time in the United States. It criminalizes a social problem, wrongly associating terrorism with undocumented immigration and “securitizing” the understanding of immigration.