The ever-shifting debate over illegal immigration in US has shifted dramatically since two decades ago when congress debated the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. But 20 years later, it looks like history is not going to repeat itself. US is not having the same debate and not even offers much of the same promises largely dependent on the will of future congresses and Presidents to deal with illegal immigration issue.
A congressman, Mark Kirk, an Illinois Republican, pushed for a ‘not-so-quick fix’ while the heated debate in the House of Representatives over illegal immigrants from Mexico was going on. A ‘not-so-quick fix’ stand for: free contraceptives or in other words shipping condoms to the poor in Mexico that would be cheaper than the multibillion-dollar fence being constructed along the US-Mexico border.
This measure though narrowly approved by the House, over the protests of anti-abortion lawmakers who prefer sex abstinence education and also a veto threat from the White House, might sound hilarious but the reason being put forward by Rep. Mark Kirk, who attended college in Mexico and holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics are more than enigmatic.
Here’s what Mark Kirk has to say -
A slower rate of growth of Mexico’s population would improve the economy of Mexico. It would also reduce the environmental pressure on Mexico’s ecosystem. But a slower rate of growth would also reduce the long-term illegal immigration pressure on America’s borders.
In the post-9/11 world, secure borders are vital. However, US have new tools like biometric technology for identification, and cameras, sensors and satellites to monitor the borders that make enforcement and verification less laborious but this measure as suggested by Mark Kirk may be the new step forward that of course, leaves behind the failed policies of the past.
Image Credit: GlobeandMail
