Immigration reform has to start with Mexico

I don't know what kind of immigration reform we'll come up with, but it won't be fair.

The world isn't fair. Imbalances — economic, social, political — tilt the ground, and people pour toward better places. There are 6.5 billion people on the planet, and most of them would benefit materially by moving to one of the few wealthy countries. According to the United Nations, nearly 3 billion people live on less than $2 a day. How much do you spend on coffee in a day?

Some people are so poor, they live on the edge of starvation. If immigration were based on need, they'd be first in line, but it isn't, or actually, it's usually based on the needs of the people who hold the keys to the big house.

People move constantly, and always have. From a small group in East Africa, we humans spread to Europe and Asia. We covered the rest of Africa, we jumped from island to island and we even made our way to the big land mass that became the Americas.

No matter how new we are to a patch of ground, once it becomes ours, we guard it jealously. The thriving spots always need more people, but there is a tension between needing labor and talent, and wanting to maintain control.

Some European countries worry that low birthrates are robbing them of the numbers they need to retain their vitality; they fear losing their identity to waves of immigrants.

Immigrants do change the landscape, sometimes in small ways, but once in a while in major ways.

A few generations ago, Mexico wanted to populate its Texas territory, so it welcomed emigrates from the United States and, um, that didn't work out so well for Mexico.

This country was built on immigration. People always say that, but it never silences a constant fear of immigrants, especially when they seem so different from the image we have of the ideal American.

For much of our history, immigration policy favored people from Europe, and even from selected parts of Europe. But we aren't in Europe, and that has presented us with an unusual challenge.

The United States and Mexico are a unique pair, vastly different in wealth but sharing a long border; excess population next to labor shortage.

People from across the world might like to come here, but it is easiest for neighbors.

Africans, for instance, are more likely to try to slip into Europe, since taking a rickety boat across the Atlantic is a bit more difficult than making the crossing to Spain.

That's why immigration demonstrations last week looked like Mexican affairs. People come legally from all over, and illegally too, but it is easiest to come without papers from Mexico.

I waded through the crowd in Seattle and saw mostly Latinos with a small sprinkling of people from other groups.

What to do about immigration becomes what to do about undocumented migration from Mexico. American employers want workers; Mexicans want jobs. What a world — the Arabs have our oil, and Mexico has our workers. Why can't they just give us what we want and not cause trouble? Do we have a sense of entitlement or what?

Coming to the United States legally is a hassle. Immigrating here is a difficult, long-term project. The whole system needs to be overhauled, but the first thing we need to do is address the situation with Mexico.

It won't be fair to people from other countries, but it would make sense to have a special arrangement with Mexico.

As unfair as it is to other immigrants, we should allow people who've already put down roots here to stay. We start over. (Kind of like American Indians have accepted that the rest of us aren't going away.)

Then we make it really easy for Mexicans to get a work permit. The goal should be to get a document into the hands of everyone who crosses the border, which would also give us more information on crossings and a modest increase in control of the border.

I mean make it really easy, as simple as getting a credit card. Require people to check in once a year, and shave time off the immigration process for people who comply.

The flip side is to be more firm with people who don't follow the rules.

After Mexico, we can write some new rules for the Haitians whose poverty leads them to risk their lives trying to get here.

Inequality leads people to build walls, whether it's between neighborhoods or countries. Canada and the U.S. aren't equal, but the smaller difference reduces border pressure. If we really wanted to make a difference, we could use more of our influence and wealth to nudge our southern neighbors to a higher level.

Until then, all we can do is keep mending the fences.

Jerry Large: 206-464-3346 or jlarge@seattletimes.com. His column runs Thursdays and Sundays.