I think that what a lot of people, here as well but especially in areas where there is no national border, don't understand about the border is that it is not a necessarily a barrier. It is more frequently and historically a conduit, a place where identity, culture and physical position (for people and goods) are constantly shifting. For those of us who have lived here for a long time, or have deep roots, we tend to take this for granted. I read about the illegal immigrants struggling to cross the border, making exceptional sacrifices, or the drug runners, the enormous marijuana seizures, the tunnels under the border, and I think about how difficult it is to draw a line in the sand, about how the border is not an actual boundary, but a crossing. I talk to friends about growing up in neighborhoods where instead of (or in addition to) the ice-cream man, we had the Mexican candy man, driving through the neighborhood with the trunk of some large sedan open to reveal Canels Chicle, Tamarindo, and Mexican lolly-pops . . .
I think about my own identity and that of my family my father's family has lived in the United States since New Mexico became part of the United States, and yet still he is Mexican-American . . . in the way that he lives, migrating back and forth across the border, and in the way that he defines himself and is defined by others. The same could be said for my sister and I, if on a less obvious scale.

Sent by Maggie | 12:43 PM ET | 03-27-2007

I live a few blocks from the US border. The western border, that is. aka the Pacific Ocean. I believe in borders, and that they should be respected. It's just like your home. You don't expect another person to enter your home without your permission. That would be a crime. If you have people breaking into other people's houses en masse, this triggers a chaotic breakdown in society, which must be met with force.
Similarly, when too many people cross an international border, it becomes a threat to national security , and must be treated militarily.
Now, we can also, look at the reasons for a flow of people from Mexico to the US. It should be noted that there is no significant flow from the US to Mexico. We should be looking at those characteristics which limit the flow into Mexico.
1. One thing to note is that Mexico strongly discourages foreign investment. The Mexican real estate is virtually closed to foreigners, except through precarious loopholes. The state-run oil industry is closed to US investors. In contrast, the US markets are wide open. Any citizen on the planet can buy a home in America. Anybody can invest in a business here, open a bank account, purchase stocks and bonds I'm not suggesting we restrict foreign investment as much as Mexico does, but if we implement some restrictions, it should slow the flow from Mexico into the US.

Sent by kertialfad | 8:00 PM ET | 03-27-2007

I'm Arizona-born (1961) and I've seen a gradual transition in the nature of the American-Mexican relationship. I used to travel to Mexico frequently with my parents in the 60s and 70s to visit family, have a vacation or to go shopping for items we wanted but couldn't find here. In the early days, prior to the devaluation of the peso in the late 70s there was a balance to the economic relationship...with some similarity to the US-Canadian relationship today. The standard of living in Mexico did not match what was available here in America, but it was certainly better than today. As the Mexican economy languished the border states, including Arizona became the outlet for Mexico's economically disadvantaged. Arizonans have always viewed a mass migration of Mexicans (or Americans from other parts of the country) into our state with a mix of trepidation and hope. We always had a concern of overcoming our "cowtown" image, and this could only come with growth. But we wanted the new arrivals to fit in, assimilate as we had, and make a positive impact on our state. But as the numbers mounted and Arizona's population exploded, we Arizona Natives found that the new arrivals (Americans from elsewhere and Mexicans, too) were not so easy to convert into Arizonans. Most of these new arrivals keep their affiliation with their old homes, rooting for the Chicago Bears or the Guadalajara Chivas, and visiting there periodically to keep their roots alive. So our challenge now is to meld this round of new arrivals and semi-Natives into Arizona society and still preserve a sense of what it means to be an Arizonan...with a love of the land, the sunset, and the "cowtown" way of life.

Sent by Arnold Zamorano | 9:44 AM ET | 04-01-2007

Since 1848 the US has been a destabilizing influence on the Mexican economy. Because of this history, militant, anti-immigrant stances and actions seem more that disingenuous. If we want a humane, life supporting solution to this deadly and awful problem, we, as a nation, need to be doing everything in our power to bolster Mexican labor, the economy and resources rather than further ripping them off with treaties like NAFTA.

Sent by Timotha Doane, Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages, City College of San Francisco, CA | 2:49 PM ET | 04-12-2007