Security measures taken by the United States government since Sept. 11, 2001 has negatively impacted Mexican-American relations, or so was the consensus of several panelists during a lecture Tuesday night.
More specifically, the U.S. government's urgency to enter a war with Iraq without international approval has impeded years of mutually beneficial international relations with Mexico, said Mark Peceny, a UNM political science professor.
"One of the greatest tragedies to come out of 9/11 was that the U.S. government has completely ignored Mexico and its needs since," said Peceny, adding that many Mexicans doubt the two countries will draft any agreement while President Bush is in office. "Instead of accommodating Mexico's needs, the U.S. has looked to shut down every possible entry-way to the country, overwhelmingly hurting the immigrants trying to make it into the U.S."
Peceny and UNM Law Professor Gloria Valencia-Weber gave the lecture, "Where Things Went Wrong and How We Get Back on Track," to a packed room in Ortega Hall as part of the University's International Education week.
The United States, which Peceny said most Mexicans think is exploitative in its power, exists because of "one of the most blatant wars of aggression it has ever fought," against Mexico in the 19th century, he said.
Despite their troubled past, Peceny said both countries were on the path to a liberal partnership during the early 1990s. Mexico made efforts to adopt a progressive democratic government, electing Vicente Fox as president of the country, who had a good relationship with President Bush, he said.
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The two countries even went so far as to sign a free trade agreement, opening the borders and relaxing immigration laws. However, the U.S. reneged several times on the agreement in the years since, Peceny said, giving Mexicans reason to be concerned that they will be next on the United States' list of countries to transform.
"Many countries, not just Mexico, know that the U.S. wants them to be free," he said. "The problem is that the U.S. wants them to be free to be just like it."
Peceny said the U.S. government forced Mexico to back its play in its aggression against Iraq, and when it went against international will and supported the war anyway, it proved many Mexican's worst fear.
"The U.S. is by far the most powerful country in the world," he said. "When it uses that power with such reckless abandon, and without the interests of its allies in mind, of course Mexico is going to doubt the future of the relationship."
Valencia-Weber said the United States. depends on cheap laborers from Mexico that they can exploit, citing a recent incident when more than 15 Wal-Marts were raided across the country and more than 200 illegal immigrants were arrested and deported.
She said during the next 10 years, there would be an additional 500,000 jobs in the United States.
"If we know those jobs are there and they need to be filled, why not accommodate Mexican immigrants who are willing to take them?" Valencia-Weber said.
