Poll: Mexicans say amnesty would increase illegal immigration
Mexicans also Feel Mexican-Americans Should Be Loyal to Mexico
A new survey by Zogby International finds that people in Mexico think that granting legal status to illegal immigrants would encourage more illegal immigration to the United States. As the top immigrant-sending country for both legal and illegal immigrants, views on immigration in Mexico can provide insight into the likely impact of an amnesty, as well as other questions related to immigration.
The results are on the Center for Immigration Studies’ website:http://cis.org/ZogbyPoll-EffectsOfAmnesty .
Among the findings:
- A clear majority of people in Mexico, 56 percent, thought giving legal status to illegal immigrants in the United States would make it more likely that people they know would go to the United States illegally. Just 17 percent thought it would make Mexicans less likely to go illegally. The rest were unsure or thought it would make no difference.
- Of Mexicans with a member of their immediate household in the United States, 65 percent said a legalization program would make people they know more likely to go to America illegally.
- Two-thirds of Mexicans know someone living in the United States; one-third said an immediate member of their household was living in the United States.
- Interest in going to the United States remains strong even in the current recession, with 36 percent of Mexicans (39 million people) saying they would move to the United States if they could. This is consistent with a recent Pew Research Center poll which found that about one-third of Mexicans would go to the United States if they could. At present, 12 to 13 million Mexico-born people live in the United States.
- An overwhelming majority (69 percent) thought that the primary loyalty of Mexican-Americans (Mexico- and U.S.-born) should be to Mexico. Just 20 percent said it should be to the United States. The rest were unsure.
- Also, 69 percent of people in Mexico felt that the Mexican government should represent the interests of Mexican-Americans (Mexico- and U.S.-born) in the United States.
- A plurality, 39 percent, of Mexicans thought that in the last year fewer people they know had gone to the United States as illegal immigrants compared to previous years. Only 27 percent thought more had gone. The rest thought it had stayed the same or were unsure.
- A plurality, 40 percent, also thought that in the last year more of the illegal immigrants they know had returned to Mexico compared to previous years. Only 25 percent thought the number returning had fallen. The rest thought it had stayed the same or were unsure.
- Both the bad economy and increased immigration enforcement were cited as reasons fewer people were going to America as illegal immigrants
- and more were coming back to Mexico.
Discussion
As the nation begins debates the issue of immigration, the perspective of people in Mexico is important because Mexico is the top sending country for both legal and illegal immigrants. In 2008 one of six new legal immigrants was from Mexico and, according to the Department of Homeland Security, 6 out of 10 illegal immigrants come from that country. Asking people in Mexico their views on immigration can provide insight into the likely impact of an amnesty for illegal immigrants and other questions related to immigration.
This survey is the first to ask people in Mexico if they thought legalizing illegal immigrants in the United States would encourage more illegal immigration. The survey was conducted in August and September of 2009 and consisted of 1,004 in-person interviews of adults throughout Mexico. The findings show that a majority of people in Mexico think that an amnesty would make it more likely that people in Mexico would come to the United States illegally. This is especially true for people who have a member of their households living in the United States. It is important to note that respondents were asked specifically about whether an amnesty would make illegal immigration more likely, not just immigration generally. Other questions in the survey explore attitudes about migration to United States generally, recent trends in migration, and loyalty to the United States.
The results may give pause to those lawmakers who think that an amnesty/legalization for illegals immigrants would reduce illegal immigration in the future. The findings of this survey indicate that an amnesty would encourage more illegal immigration, at least from Mexico.
Methodology
The in-person survey done in Mexico for the Center for Immigration Studies by Zogby International was of 1,004 persons 18 years of age and older. The sampling framework was the most recent (2009) electoral sections defined by the Federal Electoral Institute. A multi-stage sampling procedure was employed that first randomly selected 100 electoral sections proportional to size. Second, two house blocks were randomly selected from each section. Within each block five households were selected using a systematic random procedure. The margin of error for the entire sample is +/- 3.1% for a 95% confidence level. Margins of error are larger for sub-groups.
Source: Center for Immigration Studies
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Hoffa: Government report shows border should remain closed
Trucking Pilot Program Diverted Inspections From Buses, Inspector General Reports
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa said today that an inspector general report shows once and for all that the border should remain closed to unsafe Mexican trucks.
A pilot program to allow Mexican trucks on U.S. highways began in September 2007 and ended in March 2009 when Congress, with bipartisan support, cut off funding for it.
The inspector general reported that states aren’t consistently reporting Mexican drivers’ traffic convictions. That “could result in Mexican Federal CDL (commercial driver’s license) holders continuing to drive in the United States after incurring a disqualifying traffic offense,” the report said.
“This new report raises even more alarms about opening our border to unsafe trucks from Mexico and endangering the lives of drivers in the United States,” Hoffa said.
The inspector general also reported that the program diverted border officials from inspecting passenger buses. In El Paso, for example, the number of bus inspections fell by 80 percent.
At some California and Texas crossings, passenger buses are still not inspected when they cross the border on evenings, weekends or holidays because there are no inspectors working those shifts.
“This report shows without a doubt that opening the border to Mexican trucks and buses puts an unacceptable strain on our border resources,” Hoffa said. “Federal officials couldn’t keep up with inspections when there were only 118 trucks in the pilot program. If the border were opened to all Mexican trucks, border inspection stations would be completely overwhelmed.”
The report, dated Aug. 17, said that the shift in border inspectors should “call into question whether FMCSA’s (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) border staff could meet the bus inspection demands that may occur if the border were to open to a large number of Mexican long-haul trucks and buses.”
Hoffa said that Mexican trucks should not be allowed to travel on U.S. highways until the United States implements a comprehensive inspection program and the Mexican government ensures that hours-of-service rules are enforced, that Mexican drivers meet the same qualifications as U.S. drivers and that drug and alcohol testing facilities are brought up to U.S. standards.
The Mexican government slapped tariffs on $2.4 billion worth of goods after the pilot program was shut down. Hoffa said the retaliatory tariffs are unfair and disproportionate.
“Anyone who drives on U.S. roads should be required to obey U.S. safety laws,” Hoffa said. “The Mexican government is wrong if it thinks NAFTA should give it the right to send dangerous trucks onto our highways. Mexico must meet its end of the bargain. For the last 15 years, it hasn’t even tried. The U.S. Trade Representative should be challenging these unfair tariffs.”
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters
While July Fourth is America’s favorite grilling holiday, other countries celebrate their National Holidays much the same way
While the Fourth of July barbecue is as uniquely American as baseball and apple pie, the first International Weber GrillWatch Survey(TM) shows that outdoor cooks around the globe celebrate their own national holidays in much the same way.
Independence Day is the number one grilling holiday in the United States, according to the Survey, with 88 percent of American grill owners choosing to cook outside during this day. Interestingly, grillers from Canada and Australia also cite their countries’ national holidays as their top days for grilling–as well as those from France and Denmark.
The recent International Weber GrillWatch Survey, the only one of its kind, probes the grilling habits, knowledge, and preferences of 15,614 grill owners in 15 countries across five continents, representing a total of 390 million grillers in countries with populations totaling 2.1 billion people:
Canada / Canada Day: Canada Day commemorates the July 1, 1867 enactment of the British North America Act (which united Canada as a single country of four provinces), and is the top grilling holiday with 73 percent of Canadian grillers cooking outside. Labour Day is a close second there at 63 percent, followed by Father’s Day (53 percent), and Victoria Day (50 percent).
Australia / Australia Day: Australia Day is celebrated annually on January 26. It recognizes the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and the proclamation of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia. According to the Survey, 69 percent of outdoor cooks there grill this day, with Christmas and New Year’s Day as a close second and third (65 and 63 percent, respectively).
France / 14 Juillet (Bastille Day): Fifty-four percent of French grillers cook outside on Bastille Day, the national holiday commemorating the end of the French Revolution and the symbolic storming of the Bastille. Ponts du mois de Mai (long holiday weekends in May) are second at 52 percent.
Denmark / Grundlovsdag: Fifty-two percent of Danish Survey respondents say this is their favorite day to barbecue, making it the number one choice. While not an official holiday, the Danes celebrate this day when King Frederik the VII signed the first Danish democratic constitution on June 5, 1849-putting an end to the absolute monarchy. Coincidentally, it’s also Father’s Day there.
Norway and Sweden / Mid-summer’s Eve: Called St. Hans aften in Norway and Midsommarafton in Sweden, 81 percent of Norwegian and 75 percent of Swedish Weber International Survey respondents cite this June 23 holiday as their favorite. Also according to the Survey, both countries choose their respective national holidays as their second most popular times to cook outdoors: Fifty-eight percent of Norwegians grill on Nasjonaldag (celebrating the 1814 ratification of the country’s constitution) and 40 percent of Swedes grill on Sveriges nationaldag, which celebrates their country’s origins.
Here are some more favorite grilling holidays from other countries that were included in the International Weber GrillWatch Survey:
Mexico / Dia del Padre: Mexican grill owners responded that Father’s Day is a top grilling holiday at 57 percent, but their number one favorite occasion to grill overall is birthdays (77 percent).
Brazil / Ano Novo: New Year’s is a huge grilling holiday in Brazil, with 78 percent of Survey respondents there celebrating around the barbecue.
Germany / An Geburstagen (birthdays): While 76 percent of German Survey respondents cited birthdays as their favorite occasion to grill, Pfingsten, a religious holiday, is second at 56 percent. Pfingsten celebrates Pentecost, 50 days after Easter Sunday.
UK / Summer Bank Holiday: Eighty-two percent of UK grillers cook outdoors on the Summer Bank Holiday that falls on the last Monday in August.
Holland / Verjaardag: The Dutch choose birthdays and anniversaries as their favorite grilling occasions (69 percent) with Pinksteren, a religious holiday celebrating Pentecost, second at 37 percent.
Spain / 15 de Agosto Asuncion: International Weber GrillWatch Survey respondents in Spain choose this August 15 holiday as their favorite day to cook outside (57 percent); it commemorates the assumption of the Virgin Mary.
Italy / Ferragosto: As their top grilling occasion, 76 percent of Italian grillers light the outdoor barbecue on August 15 to also recognize the assumption of the Virgin Mary during the middle of the country’s month-long August holiday.
India / Festival Season: While store-bought barbecues is a slowly burgeoning market in this country, 56 percent of those who grill choose birthdays as their favorite occasions followed by the late summer/early fall “Festival season” at 50 percent.
Methodology
All online fieldwork was conducted by U.S.-based Greenfield Online in 12 countries, while telephone interviews in Mexico and India were conducted by TNS, and in Brazil by Synovate. Final data was analyzed by Denver-based KeyStat Marketing, Inc.
Combating Swine Flu: HTH Worldwide Offers Tips to Travelers
In the wake of media reports on the outbreak of swine flu, HTH Worldwide, a global health and safety services company, is offering advice to travelers who may already be in Mexico and are concerned about what steps to take.
Over one million American businesspeople, expatriates, students studying abroad and vacationers are already in Mexico. For those travelers, HTH Worldwide offers five basic tips:
1. Do your homework. Smart travelers should take time to understand the nature of Swine Flu, including its symptoms and transmission
(http://www.hthtravelinsurance.com/extras/swineFlu.cfm ).
2. Know the hospital emergency rooms in your destination. This is a step that people rarely take the time to consider, but understanding the local healthcare landscape in a city such as Mexico City can be important, especially in an emergency. HTH has identified reliable emergency rooms throughout Mexico and in Mexico City neighborhoods typically frequented by U.S. visitors. You don’t want to rely on the hotel concierge for a recommendation on a good doctor or hospital.
3. Understand what medications are needed. Tamiflu(R) or Relenza(R) are the drugs of choice. Tamiflu is not available commercially but has been stockpiled by the government in adequate supplies and is being dispensed via large hospitals. Relenza has been commercially available in Mexico but demand may exceed supply.
4. Know the language, at least a little bit. In an emergency situation, a language barrier can be tragic. If you don’t speak the local language, have a translation tool or resource with you.
5. Don’t panic. The outbreak of Swine Flu has garnered international media attention. Even though the Centers for Disease Control have advised
against non-essential travel to Mexico, stay informed and keep you perspective – you might not have to cancel that trip just yet.
“Knowledge is the great equalizer; everyone who is traveling to Mexico City should immerse themselves in facts and not simply listen to the rumors,” said Angelo Masciantonio, director and CEO, HTH Worldwide. “There are numerous technologies and tools that will help you remain informed about the true nature of this outbreak. If a traveler does encounter swine flu or other issues while abroad, it’s critical that they receive high quality healthcare, HTH offers its information and access to highly-qualified caregivers via the Internet and a mobile application called mPassport(R) (www.mpassport.com).”
HTH Worldwide has a global network of more than 5,000 hospitals and English-speaking doctors in 180 countries. This network includes twenty-one hospitals and 84 doctors in Mexico City.
Source: HTH Worldwide
Department of Justice Announces Resources for Fight Against Mexican Drug Cartels
Deputy Attorney General David Ogden announced increased efforts and reallocation of DOJ personnel to combat Mexican drug cartels in the United States and to help Mexican law enforcement battle cartels in their own country. Deputy Attorney General Ogden was joined in announcing a comprehensive response to the situation on the Southwest border by Department of Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano and Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg.
“For more than a quarter century, U.S. law enforcement agencies have recognized that the best way to fight the most sophisticated and powerful criminal organizations is through intelligence-based investigations to target the greatest threats,” said Deputy Attorney General David Ogden. “The Department’s Mexican Cartel Strategy confronts those cartels as criminal organizations. As we’ve found with other large criminal groups, if you take their money and lock up their leaders, you can loosen their grips on the vast organizations they use to carry out their criminal enterprises. The Department of Justice is committed to taking advantage of all available resources to target the Mexican cartels and to help our Mexican counterparts in their courageous effort to take on these criminal organizations.”
Today the United States announced it will be investing $700 million this year in enhancing Mexican law enforcement and judicial capacity and working closely to coordinate efforts against the cartels. The Department of Justice, through the FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), the Criminal Division and the Office of Justice Programs, will work to investigate and prosecute cartel members for their illegal activities in the United State and with law enforcement colleagues to disrupt illegal flows of weapons and bulk cash to Mexico.
The Mexican Cartel Strategy, led by the Deputy Attorney General, uses federal prosecutor-led task forces that bring together all law enforcement components to identify, disrupt and dismantle the Mexican drug cartels through investigation, prosecution and extradition of their key leaders and facilitators, and seizure and forfeiture of their assets. The Department is increasing its focus on investigations and prosecutions of the southbound smuggling of guns and cash that fuel the violence and corruption and attacking the cartels in Mexico itself, in partnership with the Mexican Attorney General’s Office (PGR) and the Secretariat of Public Security (SSP).
DEA, already the largest U.S. drug enforcement presence in Mexico with 11 offices in that country, is placing 16 new positions in its Southwest border field divisions. With this increase, 29 percent of DEA’s domestic agent positions (1,180 agents) are now allocated to its Southwest border field divisions. DEA is also forming four additional Mobile Enforcement Teams (METs) to specifically target Mexican methamphetamine trafficking operations and associated violence, both along the border and in U.S. cities impacted by the cartels.
ATF is increasing its efforts by relocating 100 personnel to the Houston Field Division in the next 45 days as part of a new ATF intelligence-driven effort, known as Gunrunner Impact Teams (GRITs). The teams will focus ATF’s violent crime-fighting and firearms trafficking expertise, along with its regulatory authority and strategic partnerships to combat violence along the U.S.-Mexico border.
As part of the Recovery Act funding, ATF received $10 million for Project Gunrunner efforts, aimed at disrupting arms trafficking between the U.S. and Mexico, to include hiring 25 new special agents, six industry operations investigators, three intelligence research specialists and three investigative analysts. The funding will establish three permanent field offices, dedicated to firearms trafficking investigations, in McAllen, Texas; El Centro, Calif.; and Las Cruces, N.M. (including a satellite office in Roswell, N.M.). Project Gunrunner has resulted in ATF referring more than 1,500 defendants for prosecution involving more than 12,000 weapons.
ATF will also continue its eTrace initiative with Mexican officials, which allows law enforcement agencies to identify trafficking trends of drug trafficking organizations and other criminal organizations funneling guns into Mexico from the United States, as well as to develop investigative leads in order to stop firearms traffickers and straw purchasers (people who knowingly purchase guns for prohibited persons) before they cross the border. In FY08, Mexico submitted more than 7,500 recovered guns for tracing, showing that most originated in Texas, Arizona and California.
The FBI is stepping up its efforts along the Southwest border by creating a Southwest Intelligence Group (SWIG), which will serve as a clearinghouse of all FBI activities involving Mexico. The FBI will also increase its focus on public corruption, kidnappings and extortion relating to Southwest border issues.
Already, the FBI has undertaken successful initiatives in Mexico and Central America, including the Central American Fingerprint Exchange (CAFE) initiative. The FBI will continue this initiative, which was developed to collect, store, and integrate biometric data from El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and the Mexican state of Chiapas into a central database accessible to U.S. law enforcement, as well as the Transnational Anti-Gang initiative, which coordinates the sharing of gang intelligence between the U.S. and El Salvador.
USMS has stepped-up its efforts along the Southwest border, deploying 94 additional Deputy U.S. Marshals during the last eight months and sending four additional deputies to Mexico City to assist the Marshals Service Mexico City Foreign Field Office.
USMS is increasing its efforts in the Southwest border region under the Mexico Investigative Liaison Program, a cross-border violent fugitive apprehension initiative where USMS personnel, through daily contact with Mexican law enforcement, provide a rapid international response to law enforcement agencies on both sides of the border in the apprehension of fugitives who commit crimes and flee across the international border.
Twenty-five new Criminal Investigators-Asset Forfeiture Specialists have been placed in USMS asset forfeiture units in the field. The new positions are unique in that they will be solely dedicated to the USMS Asset Forfeiture Division and will support U.S. Attorneys Offices and investigative agencies in investigations of cartels and other large-scale investigations.
In addition, DOJ’s Organized Drug Enforcement Task Forces Program (OCDETF) is adding analyst personnel to its strike force capacity along the Southwest border and the Office of Justice Programs will be investing $30 million in stimulus funding to assist with state and local law enforcement to combat narcotics activity coming through the southern border and in high intensity drug trafficking areas. State and local law enforcement organizations along the border can apply for COPS and Byrne Justice Assistance grants from the $3 billion provided for those programs in the stimulus package.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice