Here’s an item about a Mexican who went the other direction to become an illegal alien. El Universal reported that 24-year old Mexican Hector Huerta, was detained as an illegal alien in Panama. Huerta was removed from a bus by Panamanian border officials, in the eastern jungle province of Darien. See Panama map here .

According to a recent article by Pablo Bachelet, a National Latino Museum is in the works,

Among the backers of such a museum is California Congressman Xavier Becerra. Becerra said that when he first visited Washington, D.C.’s Smithsonian Museum complex in the 1980s he thought is was “phenomenal” but it displayed “an incomplete picture of what it means to be an American.”

In case you’re wondering about the congressman’s immigration position, Americans for Better Immigration gives Becerra an F- career grade and an F recent (2005-2008) grade.

Well, last week Congress approved a big public land measure and tucked into all the fine print was the authorization for a 23-member panel to “study the viability of a National Museum of the American Latino Community in Washington. Proponents hope the museum will rise above the din of the illegal immigration debate to highlight the contributions to U.S. society by the 45 million-strong Hispanic community.”

There’s already a Smithsonian Latino Center in D.C., which organizes itinerant exhibitions. But this proposal envisages a National Museum “to showcase Hispanic culture in the United States rather than the culture of the countries from which migrants originated.” Not only is the museum to highlight famous American Hispanics, but to show how that “Hispanics have been intertwined with America at its earliest inception.”

John McCain is not trusted by informed Republicans who are concerned about border security and the National Question–and that’s an understatement! But I don’t think his new Spanish-language website is going to help him with Republicans who want an end to illegal immigration and don’t like pandering to the Hispanic lobby. The more McCain panders the more he stands likely to lose more of the Republican base, which is his weak spot anyway.
According to Reuters,

John McCain reached out to Hispanic voters on Monday as he sought to win over a constituency that has moved away from his Republican Party but could prove key in swing states in a close U.S. presidential election in November.The Arizona senator’s campaign launched a Spanish language Web site to mark the Mexican Cinco de Mayo festival and McCain told reporters that “everything about our Hispanic voters is tailor-made to the Republican message.”[McCain Woos Hispanics and Launches Spanish Web Site, May 5th, 2008 Reuters]

The Reuters article is quite short, but if you scroll down there are a number of interesting comments. You might even consider adding comments of your own.
On the National Question, choosing between McCain and Obama, or McCain or Mrs. Clinton, isn’t much of a choice.
Isn’t the time ripe for some kind of independent or Third Party challenge? (Not that we can endorse candidates at VDARE.COM, just making a comment).

Today is Cinco de Mayo , which means “May the 5th” in Spanish. It commemorates the Battle of Puebla, a Mexican victory over the French on May 5th, 1862.

In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has become, in recent years, a big holiday for Mexican-Americans and for politicians who wish to pander to them. It seems to be (along with Muslim observances of course) one of George W. Bush’s favorite public celebrations. It’s even been suggested that the U.S. declare Cinco de Mayo an official U.S. holiday.

What’s ironic is that here in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is not a big deal. It’s basically a bank holiday, and a holiday from school. However, not in my school, which has classes today. So I have to work on Cinco de Mayo today, in Mexico .

An interesting historical detail about the 1862 Battle of Puebla is that Ignacio Zaragoza, the Mexican general in the battle, was born in Texas, during the brief (15-year) period in which Texas was part of an independent Mexico.

For more on the Battle of Puebla, you can read my Mexidata column on the topic here .
Happy Cinco de Mayo !

For years, I’ve been saying that emigration hurts Mexico. Besides all the dangers it poses to the illegals themselves, and exacerbation of family disintegration, it removes incentives for economic reform.
Well, a recent editorial in the Arizona Republic said about the same thing:
The editorial , Mexico Awakening, published April 23rd, 2008, says that

Remittances–nearly $24 billion in 2007, according to the Mexico’s Central Bank - help individual families but have a corrosive effect on Mexico. Without them, political pressure would build at home to create jobs. Without the relief valve illegal migration offers for Mexico’s unemployed, there would be enormous demand to deal with the corruption and lack of opportunity in Mexico.

The article also asserts that “Mexico is showing a welcome recognition of the downside of illegal immigration.”

As evidence it reports the words of President Calderon, who said in February that “I’m not a president who likes to see Mexicans leave the country, because every immigrant who leaves Mexico represents a loss.”

Yes, but just about every Mexican politician pays lip service to creating more jobs in Mexico. So this comment is not exactly revolutionary.
The Arizona Republic also reports how Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission recently issued two comic books, one for Mexican potential emigrants and another for Central Americans. The comic books portray

“graphic depictions of migrants brutalized by bandits, Mexican authorities and smugglers.”

The article says that the comic books and Calderon’s comment

“suggest Mexico is ready to recognize that remittances can’t compensate for the loss of its people and that it shares responsibility for ending illegal immigration. “

Maybe. But, as I have pointed out in a previous article , Mexico could end illegal immigration to the U.S. by just enforcing its own law regarding emigration. And this it still refuses to do.
If the U.S. would really shut the border, that, I think, would wake up Mexico!

A federal government serious about fighting illegal immigration would–at the least–cut off funds to so-called “sanctuary cities” that allow illegal aliens free rein and prevent local police from cooperating with immigration officials.
Of course, our federal government does no such thing. On the other hand, a case in the Cornhusker state indicates it might cut off funds if a state government doesn’t coddle illegal aliens.

Although in this case, it might be better not to have the funds after all.

According to this article on LegalNewsline.com,

Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning’s failure to prosecute a case on behalf of two illegal immigrants could cost the state federal funding aimed at fighting discrimination.[AG's refusal to take illegal immigrants' case threatens federal funding, by Chris Rizo,April 19, 2008]

Get that? It could cost Nebraska the loss of “federal funding aimed at fighting discrimination”–well, every cloud has its silver lining, doesn’t it?

Earlier this month, after the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission forwarded him the latest case involving the illegal immigrants, Bruning said the state should consider shutting down the commission entirely.

Now you’re talking!

Taxpayer money, he added, should not be used to pursue a case on behalf of an illegal immigrant, even if there was a legitimate complaint.

After all, we’re talking about people who don’t even have a right to be in the country!

But HUD is getting tough, and is threatening Nebraska :

A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said Thursday that it would no longer reimburse the state for pursuing discrimination cases and would stop forwarding complaints it receives to the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission.

The Nebraska commission would lose $240,000 annually if federal officials stop paying the state for each complaint it investigates.

In addition to fair housing complaints, the commission also investigates cases of alleged job discrimination and public accommodation cases.

Federal funds, in other words, used to meddle in Nebraska private businesses and harass employers and property owners. It sounds like Nebraska would be better off not getting that money anyway!

Meanwhile, kudos to Nebraska’s AG Bruning, another Middle American hero opposing the illegal invasion.

I was interviewed by Silvio Canto, Jr. on his show, you can listen to it here. Scroll down to where it says “Click here for the show!” Topics include anchor babies, Mexican preferences in the U.S. presidential race, NAFTA, the PEMEX controversy, Mexican military anti-cartel operations, and Mexicans killed in South America.

A recent article in the El Paso Times, by Brandi Grissom [March 28th, 2008] is entitled Hispanics to Get Say on English Standards”. Here’s what it reports:

Texas education leaders developing new English and reading standards acquiesced Thursday to pressure from teachers and lawmakers, allowing for more Hispanic input.

“I’m pleased that there was a compromise — and that they just didn’t shut out the Hispanic expertise,” said Rene Nuñez, State Board of Education member from El Paso.

“Hispanic input” and “expertise” Does that mean expertise of English education experts who happen to be of Hispanic ancestry, or Hispanic activists? Well, I think we already know the answer to that question.

The State Board of Education spent hours discussing a new curriculum, defining test standards and the contents of textbooks. Educators and lawmakers had criticized the proposed curriculum, saying it was too prescriptive and ignored Hispanic students’ needs.

So Hispanic students don’t have the same needs as those of other Texas students ?

Board Chairman Don McLeroy said last week there was no time to make major changes because the curriculum needed to be adopted in time for the 2009-10 school year.
Wednesday, though, the board heard pleas for more input from bilingual educators and from experts with knowledge about how Hispanic students learn.
“If we’re not meeting the needs of those individual children, especially our English-language learners, they are at a tremendous disadvantage,” said Paul Haupt, state coordinator for the El Paso, Texas and International Reading associations and a consultant for Socorro Independent School District.

And thanks to the “Hispanic input” and “expertise”, the reading list is being eliminated:

Teachers also objected to a reading list, which they said removed flexibility.

Nope, wouldn’t want a reading list.

The board unanimously agreed to eliminate the reading list and to consider input from Hispanic teachers and two experts, including Elena Izquierdo, University of Texas at El Paso bilingual education professor and president of the Texas Association for Bilingual Education.

Hmmm. Do you suppose that bilingual educators have a vested interest in continuing bilingual education ?

As for the reading list, notice they aren’t changing the reading list, or modifying it, or even adding books that would supposedly be appropriate for Hispanics. No, they’re just scrapping the reading list.

Texas readers take note – the final vote on the “revised English and reading standards” is scheduled for next month, so Texas readers still have time to share their input and expertise with the Texas State Board of Education. You can contact them here and share your input and expertise.

On April 4th, a group of Latin American pop stars gathered in Miami, Florida (called “the Capital of Latin America”) to promote an Interamerican Development Bank development program called “Yo Amo América“. [Ellos Aman a América, el Siglo de Torreon, April 5th, 2008]
As I’ve explained before there is a difference between what Americans call “America” and what Spanish-speakers call América . They use the latter to refer to the entire Western Hemisphere.
As for the “Yo Amo América“. event, an article in the Mexican media pointed out that, among the assembled pop stars, none was Mexican.
Nevertheless, Colombian rock star Juanes was in Miami. In an earlier blog entry I reported on Juanes’ promotion of the Hispanic vote in the U.S.A.

The U.S. government has trillions of dollars and can hire all sorts of smart people and buy all sorts of high-tech equipment. But there’s no substitute for common sense.

A recent Christian Science Monitor article by Daniel B. Wood announces the astounding discovery that taller fences work better. It’s entitled “Where U.S.-Mexico border fence is tall, border crossings fall.“.

Here are some earth-shattering excerpts:

US border patrol agent Michael Bernacke guns his SUV down the wide desert-sand road that lines the US-Mexican border through urban San Luis, Ariz. To his right stands a steel wall, 20 feet high and reinforced by cement-filled steel piping. To his left another tall fence of steel mesh. Ten yards beyond, a shorter cyclone fence is topped with jagged concertina wire. Visible to the north, through the gauze of fencing are the homes and businesses of this growing Southwest suburbia of 22,000 people. “This wall works,” says Mr. Bernacke. “A lot of people have the misconception that it is a waste of time and money, but the numbers of apprehensions show that it works.”

The triple-and double-layered fence here in Yuma is the kind of barrier that US lawmakers – and most Americans – imagined when the Secure Fence Act was enacted in 2006.

However,

Only a fraction of the new barriers resemble anything like the images of formidable fencing – the Berlin Wall or the bleak monolith that divides Israel and the West Bank – envisioned by the initial proposal. Most of the new fencing is not a double wall, but a combination of regular vehicle blocks and pedestrian barriers that range from metal mesh and chain link to traditional picket fences.

Here’s more perspective from the agent on the ground:

Bernacke, the patrol agent, says that since the triple fence was finished in October, there has been a 72 percent decline in illegal migrant apprehensions in the 120-mile swath of the US-Mexican border known as the Yuma sector. Eight hundred people used to be apprehended trying to cross the border here every day. Now, agents catch 50 people or fewer daily. The 1.5-mile strip of triple fencing that cuts through suburban San Luis is the most impenetrable, says Bernacke. That’s because the three walls are separated here by a 75-yard “no man’s land” – a flat, sandy corridor punctuated by pole-topped lighting, cameras, radio systems, and radar units, where unauthorized migrants can be chased down by border agents.

Of course, securing the border is more than a technical problem. We have the technology to secure the whole border, but what our leaders lack is the will to get it done.