When illegal immigration was the topic of the day, my email over-flowed with statements from supposed friends of Mexico demanding "reform". But now when the United States under President Obama has killed the use of Mexican trucks, driven by Mexicans, on U.S. roads, protests against such a patently anti-Mexican decision are noticeably absent.
Some people say that most Latino political groups in the U.S. are, in effect, arms of the Democratic Party that use the Latino label to cadge votes and little more. They will criticize Republicans, but not Democrats, no matter what. This issue--where the Mexican government is outraged by a clear violation of NAFTA, and in retaliation is damaging U.S. trade--would seem to be a test of that theory.
So far, the test is only validating the theory. The Obama Administration had to choose between Mexico (and NAFTA) and the Teamsters union, and it took the cheap political option. But if Latino political groups care, they aren't saying so.
Building a closer working relationship with Latin America should be a higher priority for the United States. But the Obama Administration failed to support the trade treaty with Colombia and now is rescinding the modest progress of the Bush Administration in allowing (safe) Mexican trucks to cross our borders.
Do we allow Canadian trucks? Of course.
Why not qualified Mexican trucks?
If the shoe were on the other foot and Bush, not Obama, had made this decision you would have a hard time avoiding the word "racism" all over the media and on the streets.
