Concerned Mennonite Church Writes to Obama re: Mexico and Central America relations

Emma Frederick, a pastor from Perkasie Mennonite Church in Pennsylvania just recently participated in an MCC Learning Tour to Mexico to learn about migration from a women's perspective and the dynamics and issues that play into migration, immigration policies, militarization of borders and wide-spread abuses used as tactics to dissuade Mexican and Central American immigrants from making the journey.

As she notes in this letter to President Elect Obama, people will continue to come to the United States as long as economic policies are in place that force them into undignified work situations, internal displacement to urban centers to work in factories and/or no work at all.

This letter is a good sample for anyone interested in this issue and wanting to write to their representatives or the President Elect himself.

Thank you Emma!


Dear President-elect Obama,



We as a group of concerned citizens from the Perkasie Mennonite Church, in Perkasie, PA, want to congratulate you on your historic campaign and Presidential victory. Your call for change resonated with the American people, and we hope that as a country we can build true change, both domestically and abroad.



We recognize that your foreign policy challenges will be many, and we urge you to bring your message of change to the people off Latin American and the Caribbean. As people who care deeply about the role of U.S. policy on our sisters and brothers in Latin America, we call on you to forge a new relationship with our southern neighbors - one that supports peace, promotes justice, respects sovereignty, and builds up sustainable economies.



We are especially concerned about the dire situation of many Mexicans and Central Americans. There is a strong and visible contrast between the U.S. and Mexico's northern and southern borders. Many Mexicans and Central Americans live in poverty and are struggling to survive and provide for their families. Many recount the promises made by government authorities before the implementation of the North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the last few years the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). They bemoan that economic prosperity never arrived for so many people. The trade pacts have impacted the economy of these countries and devastated the livelihood of a great amount of people. Farmers cannot compete with subsidized produce that arrive on their markets. This form of forced immigration is a driving force behind undocumented immigration to the United States. Border assembly factories (maquillas) have provided jobs with wages earned at 1/5 the minimum wage in the U.S. At the same time their prices for food and daily needs are the same as ours. Inadequate housing with payments taken out of that wage, further enslaves them.



Specifically, we urge you to:

* Transform our trade policy so that it prioritizes people and the environment over corporate profit. That would include renegotiating NAFTA and CAFTA and rejecting other trade agreements that follow the failed NAFTA model, including the U.S. Colombia trade agreement. Our government needs to work along with these countries to create a fair trade initiative that will help Mexicans and Central Americans revitalize their economies.
* Promote humane immigration reform that respects the human dignity of our immigrant neighbors, outlawing the dehumanizing treatment of migrants on these borders, and addresses the poverty and trade policies at the root of immigration.
* Forge a new type of diplomacy in the region based on mutual respect. Instead of bullying our neighbors to follow our interests and ideology, engage in true dialogue that respects their sovereignty and listens to the needs of their people.
* Put pressure on the border assembly factories to pay fair wages to their workers and provide more humane working conditions.

We believe that together we can work on reforming the immigration system by addressing the root causes of migration. From a deep conviction of faith we call on you to address these important issues.



Sincerely,

concerned citizen/Christian