I believe that it is our responsibility as Americans to show tolerance and compassion for Tennessee's newly arrived immigrant communities. As a candidate, I intend to show my support for people who have come to this country to work. I do not believe these people should be criminalized. They have come here because they want to support their families.
Economics is key to the immigration debate in our country. Rather than criminalize people who have been made destitute by our own trade policies, we need to take a closer look at our global trade agreements and see what impact they have had on the people of Mexico.
Since the implementation of NAFTA, or the North American Free Trade Agreement, over a decade ago, illegal immigration to this country has increased. Workers in Mexico have been forced off of their land, they have been forced off of land they used to communally farm and in response they have come to the United States in search of work out of desperation and poverty, and this is a direct response to the impact of global trade agreements.
Instead of criminalizing economic refugees, who risk their lives crossing the Sonoran desert, we should promote fair trade policies. As many as 3000 people per year have died crossing the desert just trying to get into this country. These people are this desperate to come to the United States. What we need is to support fair trade policies which do not economically devastate the working poor people of Mexico. This is the real solution to the immigration issue.
