Recently our Governor, Jan Brewer made the audacious statement that, “The majority of the illegal trespassers that are coming into the state of Arizona are under the direction and control of organized drug cartels and they are bringing drugs in.”  It is this kind of manipulative rhetoric that serves up a great big plateful of fear.  Law enforcement authorities claimed that Phoenix is “The kidnapping capital of the world.” And mainstream media took that fear-based sound bite and ran with it.  A dear friend, who speaks with clients from all over the country, has been asked time and time again about our “dangerous” city.
Republicans use money, race and the media to manipulate insecurities.  With a far-reaching network of right-wing think tanks and foundations, they exploit fear of immigrants, racial minorities, gays, feminists and terrorists (along with socialism and Democrats) to gain power.  Americans then willingly support a party that seems to offer them security, just as it delivers greater economic and political insecurity.  
And even as the Republicans are screaming that the Obama administration has not done enough to secure our border with Mexico, President Barack Obama has taken as strict an approach to the issue as any other president.
"No administration has been tougher on enforcement," David Axelrod said on "Fox News Sunday." "We have more manpower there than ever before- more equipment drones, helicopters, airplanes. We're doing this in a smart, more efficient way and we're producing better results."  The facts bear this out.  In February of 2010 the Department of Homeland Security said that the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. dropped by 1 million over two years.  During a recent trip from Phoenix to San Diego, I witnessed the massive increase in border security first-hand.  I’ve driven this route countless times and had never seen such a heavy presence.  We were stopped at check points along the way no less than four times and we saw dozens of Border Patrol agents along highway 8.  
I find it interesting that in 2007, Arizona voters passed an employer sanction law that could suspend or revoke the business license of any entity that knowingly hired undocumented workers.  I also find it interesting that this new law was promptly attacked by a group of business owners.  They sued on the basis that the law was “unconstitutional because only the federal government can make immigration laws.”  But along came SB 1070 (this time passed by the legislature).  Simply stated, the new Arizona law is unconstitutional (if one uses Senator Kyl’s definition) and is not needed.  It has hurt our state’s economy with cancelled conventions at a time when our economy is in a free-fall.   It is a form of racial profiling and it is a political ploy based in fear.  Now, our Senator, Jon Kyl says that “the Obama administration claims that the law defied federal government authority is wrong.”  
Once upon a time, Jon Kyl endorsed the path to citizenship proposed by George W. Bush back in 2004.  Of course he supplied caveats.  One being that any illegal immigrant must apply for a green card in their country of origin.  Another was that they would not be able to get in line ahead of others seeking the legal route to naturalization.  He also believed that they should pay fines before being allowed to pursue citizenship.  Now, when the Presidency is held by a Democrat and the same ideas are being put forth, the Republicans are blocking any and all attempts at immigration reform.  The party of “No way!” is at it again.
I’ll end with a few personal observations about immigration.  Back in 2007, the fee for filing the forms to apply for citizenship went from $90 to $675.  Doesn’t this just serve to dissuade people from pursuing the legal route to citizenship?  There are 8 million legal permanent residents in the U.S. eligible for naturalization.  Fifty percent of those are Latino.  In the coming years, statistics show that Caucasians will become a minority in our country.  This causes fear.   The estimate on the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. is anywhere from 8 million to 20 million depending on who is quoting the figures.  
In December of 1992, George H. W. Bush sponsored NAFTA and that policy is most likely the most significant contributor to illegal immigration.  NAFTA increased the wealth gap between rich and poor in Mexico forcing the population to look elsewhere to provide financial support of their families.  The World Bank statistics show that in 1992, the richest 20% of people in Mexico held 54.2% of the wealth while the poorest 20% held 4.3%.  In the year 2000, the richest 20% held 59.1% and the poorest 20% held just 3.1%.  It was a systematic erosion of the middle class (sound familiar?).  The Economic Policy Institute says that NAFTA rules protect the interests of large corporate investors while undercutting worker’s rights.  In the five years prior to NAFTA, an estimated 80,000 illegal immigrants came to the U.S.  In 2004, that number had ballooned to 485,000.  That’s a 505% increase.  Mexico’s constitution included article 27 before NAFTA.  It provided ejidos – communal farmland of a village assigned in small parcels to villagers to be farmed under a federally supported system.  In order to implement NAFTA, the Mexican president had to severely reform that article to permit private capital to purchase or lease ejidos land.  
It’s past time to fight the fear mongering, to dispel the myths, to battle the manipulation and to understand and empathize with the Hispanic people who come here legally or illegally to try to provide for their families.  If the erosion of the middle class in the U.S. continues, we may all find ourselves in the same boat.