Mexican president-elect 'has made all the right moves' on border security, business leader says
By Max Kranl on November 17, 2012 at 9:35 AM
Border security advocates say they are growing increasingly optimistic that Mexico's president-elect, Enrique Pena Nieto, is committed to strong and effective border security.
President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) speaks during a press conference on July 2, 2012 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Daniel Aguilar/Getty Images)
"So far, the president-elect has made all the right moves, surrounding himself with a top-notch transition team and sending a message to multinational businesses that Mexico is open for business," Nelson Balido, president of the Border Trade Alliance, said. "Mexico's economy has, for the most part, weathered the worst of the economic downturn, meaning that more young Mexicans can reasonably seek and find work in their patria rather than heading north."
Balido said progress has been made on U.S.-Mexican border control over the past decade. The level of illegal immigrations has been reduced from 1.6 million (in 2000) to 327,000 (in 2011). Border Protection and Border Patrol "have made border security a top priority, and the proof is in the numbers," he said. "Crossing illegally into the U.S. from Mexico is just tougher than it has ever been."
Balido sees a newer problem: the rising number of illegal immigrants coming to the U.S. from Central America and the Middle East via Mexico.
"This is indeed a really big problem," he said. "It's what we call OTMs – other than Mexicans. At this point over 60 percent of illegal border-crossings are OTMs."
He has high expectations for Mexico's new president, who will take office on December 1.
"The new president cannot forget that his country still needs to help quell northward illegal migration, even if it's not Mexicans making that trek. Nieto must deploy a strategy to gain operational control of his border with Guatemala," says Balido.
Texas, as Mexico's number one trading partner, would benefit both by strong border controls and a strong Mexican infrastructure.
"The trade traffic could very soon be 30 to 35 percent higher," says Balido.
Max Kranl