U.S. immigration policy needs to be completely redesigned

Ill-conceived, NAFTA has spiked immigration since the mid1990s; thus, our congressman aims to secure the border from laborers "bent on destroying our way of life." Oddly, Gallegly voted against NAFTA in favor of U.S. sovereignty and protectionism. Yet, as head of the terrorism subcommittee from 2002-06, Gallegly linked immigration with terrorism.

Few people choose to leave their country unless a disaster strikes, natural or manmade. Moving hurts. In 1994, NAFTA in effect rewrote Mexico's constitution so that peasants, mostly native Mexican- - 14 percent of Mexicans- no longer have the right to own land. After NAFTA, Mexico has used force- sometimes deadly- to remove people from the land.

Mexico lured them into the corporate maquiladoras, known as work towns. Many NAFTA corporations then deserted the workers and fled to lower-wage countries. Yet 15 million native Mexicans are still under siege, their farms and homes destroyed.

In the state of Chiapas, the people have organized since 1994 into activist unity, including armed struggle; these selfproclaimed Zapatistas have regional support and outreach. Yet Mexico has never honored its treaty with the Zapatistas, the 1996 San Andreas accord.

Mexicans face three times the rate of unemployment, 10 times less wages and deficient education. Yet it's wrong to say, "That's Mexico's problem, they should fight it," given NAFTA and Mexico's crimes against humanity. It blames people pushed to the limit by our policy.

Some churches have said "enough." Wisely, our Constitution separates church from state for the mediation of a sanctuary from cruel and unusual punishment. That will do until Congress decides that oppressed Mexican laborers are citizens of one corporate policy; sanctuaries will mitigate policy violations of human rights.

Terror at the border serves business, especially agribusiness, which uses the fittest, intimidated survivors. NAFTA compels domestic businesses to use cheap immigrant labor so they can compete.

Recently, 500 economists acknowledged that immigrant labor has a benefit, even for preexisting labor. In the short-term, global-trade boosts business more than domestic trade, yet a country that attains globaleconomic dominance likely falls.

We need an immigration policy that reflects the facts, that turns fear and blame into civility, that nurtures reason and trust so people can listen, learn and care about our increasingly shared plight. Let there be a tyranny of mother's love, equality and rights. David Faubion Thousand Oaks