2006 Mexican presidential campaign kicks off after Labor Day — in Los Ange

Something new will be happening in LA this year on Labor Day. Due to a new law that was passed last month that grants the right for Mexicans who live abroad the right to mail in their votes, Los Angeles will be host to a number of Mexican Presidential hopefuls to kick off their campaigns. There is an estimated 10 million Mexican nationals that are living in the US today; one third of them will be eligible to cast their votes in this election. Presidential hopefuls are looking to address the concerns of a largely quiet and ignored group that sends billions of dollars a year back to Mexico.



I am sincerely glad that the Mexican people who are legally in the US will now have a sayso in their homeland's politics. Unfortuantely though, neither the Presidential hopefuls nor the new law takes into consideration the status of the voters. To me, this is another attempt by the Mexican goverment to legitamize the illegal immigrant problem that is rampant in the US.
Last year, we see reports of Mexican military and police, laying ground fire to assist illegal border crossings. We have one Mexican city handing out fliers teaching illegal immigrants how to cross safely and how to "stay under the radar" so that once in the US the illegal immigrant will not be caught.
Earlier this month, it is reported that a member of the US Border Patrol who was hired in 2001 was arrested. This person reportedly was being paid up to $300 per person to allow groups of 30-50 illegal immigrants into the San Diego area. The best part was the Border Patrol agent was not even an American, but a Mexican national who used a copy of a Chicago man's birth certificate to get hired.

[edit on 10-9-2005 by DJDOHBOY]

This highlights the elephant in the living room of US Politics. The fact that an American city has become a campaign stop for Mexican politicians says to me that the number of foreign citizens (read, in many cases: illegal aliens) has grown to the point that America's sovreignity over its own territory in the South West could one day be in question.

I could be wrong, or I could be horrifyingly right, but I what I see is the de-facto autonomy of illegal immigrants in Southern California. Eventually this could reach a point where we can no longer ignore it, and at that point we will lack the means to enforce the law on those people. By the time we can no longer afford to allow these people free medical care, free education, and immunity from taxation, we won't be able to take it away without seeing serious civil disturbance.

I welcome LEGAL immigration- that's how my ancestors got here. On the other hand I see this as a sign of the growing number of non-citizens, including illegal immigrants, which as their numbers grow more significant could become a threat to our stability.

Curious to know what the Man's re election platform is based on should he be re elected?
Anyone know?

Dallas

From what I have been able to learn, the frontrunner Andrés Manuel López Obrador, is a big supported of the illegal (undocumented) immigrants in the US. There is even talk that Andrés Manuel López Obrador will try to give a speach in Chicago to mobilize the undocumented Mexicans there and urge them to put pressure on their political leaders.

foreignexchangetv.com