Shakira headed to Phoenix yesterday to express her dismay to the mayor and police chief. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles today said he supports a travel ban on Arizona, also calling the new law “unpatriotic and unconstitutional.” And the Obama administration clearly isn’t thrilled, no doubt because it places a greater burden on Washington to tackle immigration reform.
I think NAFTA has the power to turn the Arizona law on its head. Supporters of the legislation insist that it isn’t about racial profiling but merely “enforcement of existing federal law.” There are a few other laws the US government has been slow to enforce, like NAFTA. According to the treaty, Mexican truckers were to be allowed on US highways by 2000. It still hasn’t happened, largely thanks to a lobbying campaign by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters that painted Mexican trucks as unsafe, a specious charge. The Mexicans haven’t pressed the issue, despite the obvious inequity, and a 2001 arbitration panel ruling in Mexico’s favor. Now might be a good time for President Calderón to send a reminder note to Washington. In the event that the Obama administration finally cedes to Trade Representative Ron Kirk’s pledge to “adhere to all treaty obligations” law enforcement in Arizona would be dealing with thousands of Mexican truckers on its roads.
Furthermore, I would like to call on some industrious Mexican print shop to start churning out white t-shirts (Don’t ask “Why white?”-It just seems the best place to start) with captions like “Estoy illegal” and perhaps “Tiene papeles?” A solidarity movement might be sparked, with celebrities and college kids sporting the new tee’s.
Oh, and Los Tigres del Norte need to write perform a Mexican version of the Judas Priest song “Breakin’ the law.”
There’s a big business opportunity here. Hecho en Mexico.
