Feel-Good Legislation, But for Whom?

The Senate passed what could become the most sweeping immigration overhaul in two decades. The bill, which passed 62-36, includes stronger enforcement, a new guest worker program and a plan to allow many of the 12 million illegal immigrants now living in the United States to earn their way to citizenship.

Vicente Fox’s reaction:

Fox said the Senate vote was "the moment millions of families have been hoping for ... that millions of people have been working for."

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Flashback:

The Mexican government drew fire from American advocates of tighter borders on Wednesday for publishing a pamphlet that instructs migrants how to safely enter the United States illegally and live there without being detected.

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The Senate's passing of the immigration bill was, at best, a Pyrrhic victory. The watered-down bill will be rejected out of hand once it comes before the house. Vicente Fox’s strong support for the bill only makes this more likely.

Illegal immigration to the U.S., from Vicente Fox’s perspective, is nothing more than a political expedient; a safety valve, which reduces pressure on his government to make any serious economic reforms. This whole fiasco attests perfectly to the lengths that both American and Mexican politicians will go to retain their power.