It's Our Fault if Mexicans Die

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Mexico, which opposes any U.S. militarization of the border despite the fact that its side is crawling with soldiers, has actually threatened to sue us in our own courts if the National Guard become "directly involved in detaining migrants."

So why does Mexico oppose the National Guard on the border? Because the presence of troops would force illegal migrants to travel on more perilous routes to avoid detection - in order to break federal law. If anything were to happen along to way to these immigrants, it would of course be our fault.

It's hard to believe after reading this AP story that President Bush is still best buddies with the president of our neighbor to the south:

"If there is a real wave of rights abuses, if we see the National Guard starting to directly participate in detaining people ... we would immediately start filing lawsuits through our consulates," Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez told a Mexico City radio station. He did not offer further details.

Mexican officials worry the crackdown will lead to more deaths. Since Washington toughened security in Texas and California in 1994, migrants have flooded Arizona's hard-to-patrol desert and deaths have spiked. Migrant groups estimate 500 people died trying to cross the border in 2005. The Border Patrol reported 473 deaths in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30.

Juan Canche, 36, traveled more than 1,200 miles to the border from the southern town of Izamal and said nothing would stop him from trying to cross.

"Even with a lot of guards and soldiers in place, we have to jump that puddle," said Canche, referring to the drought-stricken Rio Grande dividing Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas. "My family is hungry and there is no work in my land. I have to risk it."

In Nuevo Laredo, across from Laredo, Texas, Honduran Antonio Auriel said he would make it into the U.S.

"Soldiers on the border? That won't stop me," he said. "I'll swim the river and jump the wall. I'm going to arrive in the United States."

Look, if you want to swim in my pool against my wishes and jump the fence to get in, don't expect me to be responsible if you drown. The plight of many Mexicans to seek a better life is an understandable one, but once you take your first step into the desert you take on a great risk that you alone decide to try.

The United States government is charged by the Constitution to protect this nation and has the wherewithal to do so. Our commissioned officers have sworn to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic." And who are these foreign enemies? Terrorists. Terrorism as we all know, is a real threat, and one of the more practical solutions to keeping malicious invaders out of our country is to maintain an awesomely fortified border.

Unfortunately a vast number of migrants who seek only a better life get caught up in the mess, but our resolve must remain absolute. Our government is bending over backwards, trying to figure out a fair way to assimilate migrants into our society. But those who are jumping the gun take a deadly risk, and many will run into tragic consequences.

The threat of lawsuits is simply absurd. The U.S. government should be condemning them as pure foolishness and should be making it loud and clear that our federal courts will not compensate the parties of criminals who ignore our laws when they venture illegally into the United States.