Mexicoblog Editorial: Immigration Madness: Poll: 60% Think Federal Policies Encourage Illegal Entry to US

Apparently, according to the poll cited below, the political demagogues have convinced the majority of U.S. voters to share their delusions regarding immigration. That is sad and scary. We are dumbfounded as to what "current federal government policies regarding immigration" people think "encourage the act of 'border jumping.'" Is it the Secure Communities program and border apprehensions that are deporting record numbers? Is it the doubling or tripling of the Border Patrol that forces migrants into more and more dangerous territory and increasing risk of death? Is it the drones and the billion dollar virtual fence? Is it increased audits of businesses for undocumented employees? Is it the overburderned immigration courts? Where - in all of this - is there 'encouragement'? 


We are sounding more and more like President Obama and Secretary of Homeland Security Napolitano when they plead their case for the huge increase in "border security" that they have implemented. As President Obama pleaded in his speech last week in El Paso,  his administraion is bending over backwards to prove it is 'pro-enforcement.' 


We do not agree with these federal policies. They will not solve the 'immigration problem.' Only a clear-eyed look at the realities of migration economics both in the U.S. and in Latin America - that is, the international labor market - and creation of immigration laws that take this market into account will resolve the problem. The spread of the insane belief that more enforcement is needed will only make it worse. With the 2012 election season in full swing - and as this poll indicates - we fear that is what is happening.

Poll: 60% Think Federal Policies Encourage Illegal Entry to US | U.S. Election News: "A new survey released Friday by Rasmussen Reports shows that more than half of Americans, 60%, believe that the current federal government policies regarding immigration encourage the act of “border jumping” or crossing into the US illegally.

This coincides with 64% of Americans saying that they believe that it is better to secure the US/Mexico border and prevent more illegal immigrants from crossing over than to work on establishing citizenship for the ones who have already entered the country."