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Thu, June 07, 2007 11:00:25 PMFrom:
Global Exchange - News & Action
Subject:
What's Missing in this Week's Immigration Debate?
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As the divisive debate over immigration played out on the national stage this week, a critical element was left out?the importance of reforming trade policies, like NAFTA, which have devastated the Mexican economy and dramatically increased the rate of migration over the last 12 years. While Congress gives lip service to the root causes of immigration, they are simultaneously considering the reauthorization of NAFTA's Fast Track, a move that would give the president the power to continue imposing this disastrous trade policy with no discussion, no studies and no Congressional or citizen input. We only have one action item this week and we need your help!!!! TAKE ACTION****************************************************** Please Sign this petition to stop the reuthorization of NAFTA's Fast Track!! **********************************************************************************  Toward a Trade Policy that Works for the People: A Call for a Moratorium on Free Trade Agreements Join this new initiative to call for an IMMEDIATE MORATORIUM ON NEW FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS by signing on to the following petition, already endorsed by the Alliance for Responsible Trade, which is a coalition of over 35 trade, labor and faith-based organizations. Instead of further supporting a failing trade policy, let's join together to examine who really benefits from these agreements and to generate informed discussion on positive alternatives. U.S. trade policy is not working for the majority of Americans. Free trade agreements forged in the NAFTA mold have not brought about a general increase in standards of living at home or within partner countries, and have contributed to the loss of U.S. jobs, eroding labor standards, a burgeoning trade deficit, and worsened inequality. Despite mounting evidence of negative impacts and a call from the U.S. public to rethink trade policy, the Bush administration has refused to modify the NAFTA model of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). It has now submitted four new FTAs to Congress and is asking for renewal of "fast track", or trade promotion authority, to continue to push ahead with this seriously flawed policy. It's time to change course in our trade policy. We are joining together to call for a fundamental first step: Congress should declare an immediate moratorium on new free trade agreements. The moratorium should apply to the four FTAs that the administration rushed into the current session: South Korea, Panama, Colombia, and Peru. By declaring a moratorium on passage of these FTAs and not renewing fast track authority for approving new ones, Congress can heed the message of the majority of the people and take a deep look at the way these agreements are restructuring our economy, our communities, and our foreign policy. A moratorium on FTAs will give Congress, the executive branch, and the public an opportunity to deepen democratic debate on trade, and develop a new long-term trade policy as part of a coherent economic and foreign policy. The U.S. public and policymakers deserve comprehensive studies on the results of Free Trade Agreements before pushing blindly forward. Studies should measure the impact of the free-trade model to date not merely by gauging growth in international trade and investment, but by its success or failure in broader goals of job creation, broadly shared development, and sustainability. At present there is no public consensus regarding benefits to society and considerable evidence to the contrary. This long-term view toward sustainable trade policy must take into account its overall impact in U.S. society and in other parts of the world. Elements of a new trade policy should include: * Enforceable international labor, human rights and environmental standards * Mechanisms to guarantee affordable access to life-saving medicines for poor people * Measures to provide for the special needs and goals of developing countries * Recognition of the right to food sovereignty and the social value of preserving family farms, in the U.S. and other countries * Transparency and democratic decision-making in the design, implementation and monitoring of trade policy * Job retraining and community economic restructuring programs We do not need four more free trade agreements modeled after a failing policy. The time has come for Congress and the U.S. public to assume responsibility for adopting a trade policy that works in the interests of the majority and fosters fair and peaceful international relations. Roots of Migration During the debate over the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, advocates assured the U.S. and Mexican public that the trade agreement would greatly alleviate unauthorized migration by increasing employment opportunities in Mexico and closing the gap between U.S. and Mexican wages. But the promise of cross border prosperity has been a mirage for millions of Mexicans: the value of the Mexican minimum wage dropped 20 percent in NAFTA's first decade, and the price of tortillas?Mexico's daily bread?rose more than 500 percent between 1993 and 2000. The increase in poverty has led to a drastic increase in migration, especially in the countryside. The consequent upsurge in the number of Mexicans emigrating to the U.S. has neither been curbed by U.S. security measures nor by economic policies. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, the number of immigrants to the United States from Mexico actually decreased by 18 percent in the three years before NAFTA's implementation. But in the first eight years of NAFTA, the annual number of immigrants from Mexico increased by more than 61 percent. Unless we reframe both the immigration and trade debates, and gain an understanding of the intricate links between economic policies, poverty, and migration patterns, policymakers will continue to put a small band-aid over the large wound. Explore the reports below to learn more about the roots of migration. For more information please see our Roots of Immigration resources: Thanks, as always, for your hard work on behalf of peace and justice, Global Exchange |
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