Remember Mexico

It was only two weeks ago that President Bush proclaimed, “The United States has no more important relationship in the world than the one we have with Mexico.” Last week, a terrorist attack against the United States abruptly shifted his attention.

The president, whom critics had accused of being a near-isolationist, now seems to recognize that the United States has important relationships worldwide and that they must be nurtured. As his administration gathers alliances for a war against terrorism, negotiations with this nation’s old ally to the south have naturally fallen by the wayside.

No doubt Mexico will remain patient as Bush goes about the all-consuming business of war. But the United States must not forget that its relationship with Mexico remains unique. The two nations share a 2,000-mile border and increasingly integrated economies.

As world affairs edge toward uncertainty, the stability of this neighbor becomes more, not less, important. The steps Mexican President Vicente Fox already has taken to improve law enforcement and reduce corruption in his country merit even greater encouragement.

Immigration issues, however, will be more problematic as the U.S. struggles to tighten the borders and policies that appear to have allowed at least 19 mass murderers to infiltrate and live in America. Even before the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, it was very unlikely that an agreement on immigration could be reached before the end of the year. Yet, once the world returns to some semblance of normality, we must revisit the debate on how to contend with the estimated 3 million Mexicans already living illegally in the United States and the estimated tens of thousands who will cross the border in search of work next year. Again, regional stability is at stake.

For obvious reasons, moral and economic, the U.S. must draw a hard, clear line to differentiate how it treats those whom it suspects of coming to this country to subvert and kill from those who come here to feed their families.