"Reducing Illegal Immigration Through Greater Economic Opportunity"

March 7 , 2006

Mr. Speaker, last week I traveled to Mexico for the annual meeting of the U.S.-Mexico Inter-parliamentary Group, which included a trip to the Mexico-Arizona border. I had the opportunity to meet with local law enforcement officials and hospital administrators to discuss the tremendous strain that illegal immigration imposes on resources and law and order in our communities.

As an advocate for greater security at our borders, I have also long supported addressing the root cause of illegal immigration: a lack of economic opportunity at home. We know that the majority of illegal immigrants come to this country for economic opportunity. Economic growth, job creation and higher wages in Mexico are essential components to a long-term solution to the very serious problem of illegal immigration.

By pursuing an open trade agenda that expands economic engagement in this hemisphere, we are not only shoring up our regionally based economy and creating new opportunities for U.S. workers, business owners and investors.

We are helping to drive the economic growth necessary to reduce the number of illegal immigrants trying to make the dangerous trek across our borders.

It was therefore with great interest that I read a recent Business Week article, describing the emergence of a growing middle class in our neighbor to the South. The success of NAFTA can be seen in the greater economic stability outlined by Business Week – steady growth, tame inflation, climbing wages and falling interest rates.

This increasingly stable and healthy economic environment has helped Mexico become, quote, “a middle-class nation where millions have access to mortgages, solid jobs provide security, and a class of strivers saves to put its kids through college.” Mexico’s middle class has grown to 10 million families, or 40% of all households.

Business Week also credits home ownership as another key factor in the emergence of a robust middle class. Strong economic fundamentals have slashed mortgage rates in half in just two years. The growing ranks of Mexican home owners buttress middle class growth by allowing families to build equity, plan for their financial futures and move farther up the economic ladder.

The middle class has also been able to afford additional consumer goods. Last year, auto sales were up 33% from 2000, as a record 1.3 million cars and trucks were purchased. Home appliance sales have tripled in the past decade. Even extras like concert tickets and sporting events are increasingly accessible to the average working family.

Most of us wouldn’t consider refrigerators or baseball games to be major luxuries. But for a country that has struggled greatly with poverty and deep economic crises, these are signs of tremendous economic progress. They are proof that our policy of economic engagement through agreements like NAFTA are working to bring new opportunities for the Mexican people. And they are an important step forward in ensuring that the swollen ranks of illegal immigrants are losing their incentive to come here illegally to find opportunity.

Mexican officials are demonstrating they recognize this reality as well. Last month the Mexican Congress adopted a resolution that acknowledged the graveness of the illegal immigration issue and outlined the principles of its agenda to combat the problem. This resolution cited economic opportunity as critical to a successful campaign to both prevent illegal immigration to the U.S. and encourage the return of migrants to their homes in Mexico.

I am encouraged by the Mexican parliament’s bold language in accepting responsibility for action and putting forth the outline of a plan. And I am heartened that economic growth is central to Mexico’s long-term strategy, because we know a growing Mexican middle class is a shrinking illegal immigrant class. With greater hope for the future, there is a greater incentive to stay and build a life at home. Mexico is pledging to remain committed to a pro-growth agenda. We must remain equally committed to an open-trade agenda that helps our Southern neighbor to continue down a path of economic growth and greater opportunity.