Mona Charon On Victor Davis Hanson on Immigration

Mona Charon On Victor Davis Hanson on Immigration

Straight talk on immigration

Everyone knows that illegal immigrants come to the United States for a better life. Mr. Hanson fills in some of the blanks that most Americans may not know — for example, the inflexible racism and two-tiered nature of Mexican society. Their country is so poor, and so backward, that most Mexicans have more in common with Egyptians and Indians than with Americans. They flee north because they can, and the Mexican government offers a wink and a nod, and often more, to facilitate this flow. Why? Mr. Hanson argues that it serves as a safety valve for Mexico itself. If the discontented could not flee north, pressure would build within Mexico for reform. And reform is exactly what the power elite in Mexico wishes to avoid.