Any country’s borders are a matter of sovereign priority. The U.S. is no exception. But Mexico is not Canada. It still enables a migrant mess. The solution, as has been made obvious, is not a Mexican-subsidized wall or inhumane border practices.
What the migrant surge requires is an approach that directly impacts the motivation of those migrating up from Central America to the U.S.-Mexico border. We know the poverty, cartel-gang terrorism and corruption they are escaping from in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. That’s why it’s imperative that America help address the root cause—not merely implement an ad hoc policy that guarantees bumper-sticker nativism and border chaos.
That’s why we need what amounts to a Marshall Plan for Central America. One that helps law enforcement; addresses governments’ susceptibility to corruption; stimulates economic development with hemispheric trade partners; and prioritizes diplomatic relations. In short, a program that incentivizes locals to stay and grow sustainable communities rather than opt out and flee north. In sum, a program that is not some Yanqui giveaway, but one that is a pragmatic, prime example of enlightened self-interest—not unlike the original Marshall Plan in post World War II Europe.
“If we want to solve the immigration issue, we need to go to the root of the cause—and that is that people can’t find safety and opportunity in Central America,” bluntly underscored Julian Castro, a former HUD secretary, San Antonio mayor and presidential candidate.