U.S. and Mexico: interdependent and unequal

A village in southern Oaxaca (photo by Jordan Green)

By Irene Godinez

The United States and Mexico have a complicated, yet intrinsically dependent relationship with each other. Nowhere else on the planet does a “third world country” border a world “superpower.” Another distinctive component is that nowhere else on the globe does a nation exist where the disparities between excessive wealth vs. extreme poverty are more visible than in Mexico. These two facts create extreme tension and further strain the already dysfunctional relationship between the two nations.

To say that historically these countries have always been at odds is a gross understatement. The United States and Mexico experienced significant hardships, causing a faulty foundation in their relationship that continues to perpetuate a severely unequal and unstable relationship that cripples millions of innocent citizens on either side of the border.

During a recent journey to Mexico to witness the roots of migration, a delegation of mostly North Carolinians learned by speaking to Mexican workers how gravely the North American Free Trade Act, or NAFTA, has affected their lives. While NAFTA was promoted as a panacea to Mexico’s malaise – specifically economically – hardly any of the promises made to Mexican workers have materialized. While there is enough blame to go around, the US government is seen by Mexican workers as most culpable considering the tremendous influence it has over the Mexican government. NAFTA bankrupted the vast majority of small farmers in Mexico – most of whom have looked northward for survival, even knowing that they could lose their lives in the journey.

Many Mexican workers with whom we spoke asked why the US government doesn’t allow them to enter the United States legally to work. After all, they are no longer able to work their lands or work in their communities because of US-Mexico policies. While we can’t deny the complicity of the Mexican government in robbing millions of Mexican workers the most basic survival opportunities, the United States must use its influence over Mexico to allow its citizens the opportunity to prosper at home.

Mexico continues to experience extreme disparities, with the majority of its citizenry living in poverty and where jobs continue to deplete at alarming rates, for Mexican workers the only option to “make it” is migrating north. It is disturbing to see these two nations continue to use each other for economic gains for a few corporate giants at the expense of workers on both sides of the border.

The reality of these nations is that the United States cannot survive without the labor of its immigrant – mostly Mexican – workforce, and Mexico cannot sustain itself without the remittances of these workers. Unfortunately, neither government has come forward to change or create policies that could benefit its workers because in the end corporations and capital have taken precedence over just and human treatment of workers.

Irene Godinez is advocacy director for El Pueblo in Raleigh, NC.