Ex-Mexico President Fox: US Needs Migrant Labor Howard Fischer - Capitol Media Services
go to original September 14, 2012

“Mexicans in this nation make a great contribution to the economy, enormous contribution to competitiveness and to productivity of this nation,” says Vicente Fox. And he insisted he is not in favor of “open borders.” (Howard Fischer/Capitol Media Services)

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox said the United States has to bolster ties with Mexico and recognize the need for migrant labor or get used to the idea of playing second fiddle a decade now to a much larger Chinese economy.

“The threat is this so-called power shift from the West to the East,” he told a press conference Thursday at an economic development event organized by the city of Peoria (AZ).

“Those nations on the East are getting ready and prepared to lead,” Fox explained, saying there are forecasts that show the Chinese economy will be larger than that of the United States within a dozen years.

“And that means a very important question to all of us: Under what principles are those leading nations (going to) be exercising their leadership,” Fox said. And his point was clear: the U.S. would be better off dealing with Mexico and other Latin American countries than perhaps those with different world views.

“We have our values in the West that we share,” Fox said. “So we all on this continent, especially North America, must get ready to meet that challenge.”

And part of that, he said, is bolstering the economies of the United States and Mexico by recognizing the need to use migrant labor. He said the new administration that takes over later this year in his country, coupled with the U.S. election, provides an opportunity for resolving the issues.

“Otherwise, we will keep losing the jobs to the East,” Fox said.

“Mexicans in this nation make a great contribution to the economy, enormous contribution to competitiveness and to productivity of this nation,” the former president continued. And he insisted he is not in favor of “open borders.”

“But I am in favor of the use of our talent, our wisdom, our intelligence,” Fox said. And that requires finally filling the vacuum of what kind of laws on immigration are necessary.

In his speech, Fox did not address Arizona’s approval of SB 1070 two years ago aimed at giving state and local police more power to detain and arrest suspected illegal immigrant. But in response to a question afterwards, he said Arizona — and other states — have waded into the fray out of frustration with the lack of action in Washington.

“At the very end, migration is a national issue,” Fox said. With immigration reform stalled in Congress, “state governments and state legislatures have been forced to get involved.”

Fox did discuss the increasing violence in Mexico. But the former president made it quite clear much of the blame starts on this side of the border with the heavy demand for drugs which financially fuels the cartels in Mexico that move cocaine from South America through his country to the United States.

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