Some food for thought…

Despite repeated attempts to enter Mexico illegally, many hopeful U.S. immigrants have been met with strict immigration laws and enforcement including felony prosecutions and deportation.

You have to ask yourself…why does a country with such strict and punitive immigration laws call it a crime when another country attempts to institute those very same laws?

In Mexico’s, “Ley General de Población” which is their version of United States Immigration laws, Mexican law states the following:

• A penalty of up to two years in prison and a fine of three hundred to five thousand pesos will be imposed on the foreigner who enters the country illegally. (Article 123)
• A Mexican who marries a foreigner with the sole objective of helping the foreigner live in the country is subject to up to five years in prison. (Article 127)
• Foreigners who fail to obey a deportation order are to be punished. (Article 117)
• Foreigners who are deported from Mexico and attempt to re-enter the country without authorization can be imprisoned for up to 10 years. (Article 118)
• Foreigners who violate the terms of their visa may be sentenced to up to six years in prison (Articles 119, 120 and 121). Foreigners who misrepresent the terms of their visa while in Mexico — such as working with out a permit — can also be imprisoned.
• Foreigners with legal immigration problems may be deported from Mexico instead of being imprisoned. (Article 125)
• Foreigners who “attempt against national sovereignty or security” will be deported. (Article 126)
• Shipping and airline companies that bring undocumented foreigners into Mexico will be fined. (Article 132)

It seems Mexico has an incredibly strict and punitive immigration policy and yet their president, Felipe Calderon has stated that the new law in Arizona, “opens the door to intolerance, hate, discrimination and abuse in law enforcement.” Calderon goes on to say, “Nobody can sit around with their arms crossed in the face of decisions that so clearly affect our countrymen.” Calderon has instructed the Foreign Relations Department to double its efforts to protect the rights of Mexicans (illegal ones, obviously) living in the United States and seek help from lawyers and immigration experts.

Related links here and here.

Categories: Immigration

Tags: Arizona immigration, illegal immigration, Jan Brewer, ley general de poblacion, mexico immigration, SB 1070