Press Briefing: U.S.-Mexico Migration Panel Unveils Recommendations

February 14, 2001

On February 14, 2001, a press conference was held at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to present the conclusions of a panel of U.S. and Mexican experts who worked together to propose a new bilateral framework for Mexican immigration to the U.S. The panel's recommendations were presented to Mexican President Vicente Fox and to the White House before their February 16 meeting.

Panel members in attendance:

United States Co-Chair
Mr. Thomas F. "Mack" McLarty, III
Kissinger McLarty Associates
Mexico Chair
The Honorable Andrés Rozental
Vice Chairman President, Rozental & Associates, Former Deputy Foreign Minister of Mexico
U.S. Convener
Dr. Demetrios Papademetriou
Senior Associate and Co-Director
International Migration Policy Program
Carnegie Endowment for Int'l. Peace
Present: Randy Johnson, Vice President, Labor and Employee Benefits, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Eliseo Medina, Executive Vice President, Service Employees International Union AFL-CIO, CLC; Norma Samaniego, Directora General, Santa Fe Consultores and Former Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Welfare of Mexico; Frank Sharry, Executive Director, National Immigration Forum.

Andrés Rozental, Mack McLarty and Demetri Papademetriou

Demetri Papademetriou, co-director of the International Migration Policy Program of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the U.S. convener of the U.S.-Mexico Migration Panel, began the briefing. He noted that the panel's work has been a truly bilateral effort, reflecting the interests and needs of both Mexico and the U.S. Their report offers a road map, or framework, to understand and manage migration issues between the two countries. He argued the timing is right for a re-casting of the relationship given the increasing confluence of economic and demographic factors in both countries, the desire of Presidents Bush and Fox to strengthen the U.S.-Mexico relationship and the black market in migration that has emerged but which must stop.

Thomas "Mack" McLarty, Vice-Chairman of Kissinger McLarty Associates and former White House Chief of Staff and Special Envoy for the Americas and U.S. co-chair on the panel, spoke next. He commented on the presidents' unique experiences, as former governors and businessmen, with migratory issues. The fact that they are taking office at the same time presents a unique opportunity for change. He said that President Fox's election-the first time in 71 years that a non-PRI member has been elected president in Mexico-signals a profound change in Mexico. While President Bush has experience working with Mexico, he can build on the work of the former Bush and Clinton administrations, such as the creation of NAFTA and the Mexico support package. Mexico is a partner, neighbor, and friend, McLarty said. It is the United State's second largest trading partner and a neighbor sharing a long border, as well as a friend with increasing cultural ties. He noted that our relationship should be one of a true partnership, based on respect and trust-together seeking the best answer to the challenge of poverty. The U.S.-Mexico relationship is increasingly equitable and more so today than ever before. The U.S.-Mexico Migration Panel has sought to address the way people and families pass between the two countries in a safe, legal, and orderly way. Both countries have their own interests: Mexico wants to prosper and allow talent to flourish and stay in Mexico, and the U.S. needs and will continue to need more workers. The panel's report calls for the crafting of a "grand bargain" through which both nations will reap rewards.

McLarty highlighted four core principles in the report. The first is to improve treatment of Mexican migrants by making visas and legal status more widely available. This means "making legality the norm." The second is cracking down on criminal smuggling organizations. The third is helping border communities work together to build a more viable border region. The fourth is implementing development initiatives to diminish migration pressures in Mexico.

He then emphasized that the border should be seen as an opportunity and an intersection between dignity, common sense, and the rule of law. It should be a place where ideals converge, not where interests separate.

Andrés Rozental, president of Rozental & Associates and former Deputy Foreign Minister of Mexico and the Mexico chair of the panel, described the panel's composition as of fifteen Americans and fifteen Mexicans with expertise on the issue of migration who were prepared to think "out of the box." The highlight of the report is that it suggests a "grand bargain" with proposals that, taken together, may change the way Mexico and the U.S. approach the border. It consists of the four principles mentioned by McLarty and also a few specific proposals which the governments can do now. He urged the two countries to begin a serious and mature discussion of immigration as a shared responsibility and find common points of agreement. The specific proposals include the following:

• The U.S. should make legal status for Mexicans who want to come to the U.S. and who are here more widely available. The U.S. should increase opportunities for family reunification, work visas, and regularization of status of undocumented immigrants already in the U.S.
• The U.S. should expand permanent family visas. Many families are separated or are undocumented families living in the U.S.
• The U.S. and Mexico should make a joint commitment to share responsibility for law enforcement. They must protect migrants' human rights and crack down on human traffickers.
• The two governments must address issues already on the table. For example, they should sign a bilateral social security totalization agreement, which would allow Mexican workers to earn credit for their work in the U.S. Additionally they should tackle the problem in "circularity," whereby workers migrate to the U.S. for brief periods of time and then return to Mexico. In the past, it was easier for workers to work temporarily in the U.S., that is not so today. The panel suggests that the U.S. put a moratorium on building walls at the border, least until both governments can engage in a mature negotiation of the migration relationship.
• Canada, and Mexico should be put in a different category from the normal immigration formula than the rest of the world (currently, they are subject to national quotas); this would better reflect the special relationship embodied in their geographic situation and in the deepening ties established by NAFTA.

Randy Johnson, Andrés Rozental and Mack McLarty

Rozental also emphasized the bilateral nature of the group's effort, considering it an important milestone that they came to consensus on such difficult issues.

Randy Johnson, Vice President for Labor and Employee Benefits of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said that while there is rarely a new idea in D.C., the panel is breaking new ground on old issues. The migration system is broken, and this is seldom honestly addressed. He hopes the report will not be confined to a "dustbin" and does not think it will be. He noted that the time is right for policymakers to address these issues and the report provides a useful framework for this purpose.

Andrés Rozental and Mack McLarty

Eliseo Medina, Executive Vice President of the Service Employees International Union and an immigrant from Mexico to the U.S., declared that immigration is of critical importance to the labor movement. Every day, he said, we see the effects of black market migration and the victimization of migrant workers. Policies designed to protect U.S. workers actually undermine benefits to all workers. He stated the U.S. should make legality the prevailing norm, and it should start by regularizing the status of undocumented Mexican workers already in the U.S. If they have legal status, then they can fight for their labor rights. Medina noted that, until Mexico can provide enough jobs for its people, Mexicans will immigrate to the U.S. The question is, will the U.S. government make them legal and with labor rights or keep them illegal and exploited?

Papademetriou summarized the comments of the chairs. He emphasized that too many migrants cross into the U.S. without legal status and rights, too many are dying, and too many are exploited.

Norma Samaniego (Director of Santa Fe Consultores, S.C., Former Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Welfare and Panel Member), Eliseo Medina and Randy Johnson

Questions

A reporter asked if the chairs thought the upcoming meeting between Presidents Fox and Bush would be different from past political meetings that turned out few results, and what did the panel think they would discuss? McLarty responded that the meeting is important because it is the first meeting between the two new presidents and will set the tone for the U.S.-Mexico relationship over the next four years of Bush's term and the next six years of Fox's term. He thinks immigration can be looked at in a creative and different way, and believes the meeting has a serious agenda that will lead to on-going dialogue. Rozental added that what is important is that for the first time a non-PRI president is committed to change and Fox has made it very clear that migration is on his agenda. He hopes the expected meeting to be substantive and set the tone, giving the administrations their marching orders.

A reporter asked if the panel was calling for a general amnesty for all Mexican migrants in the U.S. and asked whether immigrants of other nationalities might not also call for the same privilege? Would there be a possibility of having a re-constituted bracero-like program? Papademetriou stated that the panel is not asking for a repeat of policies that worked badly in the past; the panel knows there is a tortured history of temporary worker programs but thinks that we can come up with a program that can work, with better regulations. Frank Sharry, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum and panel member responded that the report is not intended to be very specific. It is not an issue of legality versus temporary work programs; the U.S. should make legality the norm. He said the panel is asking for policies to reflect realities.

Another question was what can be done to change the negative attitudes many Americans and many in Congress have of immigration? Papademetriou quoted Senator Gramm, who said that reliance on Mexican labor is embedded in the U.S. economy. Papademetriou remarked that there is a broader understanding of facts on the ground than in the past; major spokespeople from both parties have acknowledged it. Rozental acknowledged that there are skeptics on both sides of the border. In the past, the Mexican side often felt that the best policy was to have no policy and that illegal migration to the U.S. was a U.S. problem, that Mexico had no way to control or affect it. That attitude should change; he hopes for a convergence of U.S. and Mexican interests.

Noted that Bush has not said he supports legalization of undocumented Mexicans in the U.S., although he does support a guest worker program. There was a question about why the panel thinks Bush would support legalization, and whether Fox should be willing to discuss a guest program without a promise of legalization? Should such efforts be realized through a bilateral treaty? Papademetriou replied that the report presents a package; if the governments pick and choose parts of the proposed package, they will discover major weaknesses in the policies. The parts work together to make the proposal possible. Sharry added that last year the majority of Republicans in Congress supported legislation to legalize thousands of undocumented workers; he is optimistic of Bush's support.

A reporter said the problem with the proposals is that they could suffer a thousand cuts; will they work that way? Also, is the panel making sure the presidents receive and understand their proposals? Rozental replied that the concept of a "package" is key; the report takes an integrated approach and bilateral point of view. He further stated that he personally delivered the report to President Fox. McLarty added that this conversation on migration was really a process, the governments need a coherent policy, addressed now and developed over time. He was to brief members of the White House on February 15.

Another audience member asked about the expected reaction of the trade unions to the report? Medina replied that the labor movement understands immigration is a critical issue, and the report should be generally well received.

Rozental concluded the press conference by emphasizing that the ultimate objective is for Mexico to develop and be able to use its own people; over time this will reduce migratory pressures. This is a priority for Fox who already has made plans to target remittances for development purposes. However, one cannot expect Mexico to do it all on its own. The NAFTA partners should also work together with Mexico and NADBank, in particular, should be strengthened.

*Affiliations are listed for identification purposes only.
**Panel Member until November 30, 2000.
*** Panel Member until February 5, 2001

Summary of Recommendations
Memo to Presidents
Press Release

Summary by Kerry Boyd and Ana K. Carrión