Why would the Mexican government so aggressively support the departure of its citizens to the U.S. to live and work? After all, it is the very people with the intelligence and drive to build a society who are leaving, and Mexico badly needs building.

There are a couple good reasons. Let's look at them.

As you might expect, it's about the bucks. Mexicans in the United States send about twenty-one billion dollars a year back to Mexico. It is Mexico's second- largest source of foreign currency, after oil. Most nations make money in international trade by making things and selling them overseas. Mexico makes money with the sweat of its people who go overseas (well, not really "overseas", but you understand). And that's what it's done for decades. Up until the late 1950's Mexico discouraged its people from leaving, recognizing them for the resource they are, but no longer. Those people are more valuable when they're gone. They send money, and Mexico doesn't have to do anything for them, like supply jobs or improve living conditions.

AND, it's a two-fer for the Mexican ruling class, because Mexico is a nation built on revolutions. And who are the revolutionaries in any civilization? They are the young and energetic, but those without hope of improving their lives. And who are the people that Mexico has been exporting to the U.S. for decades? Their revolutionary class, that's who. Only, they're not revolutionaries when they're in the United States - they're too busy earning a living and sending money home.

So we needn't look to Mexico for help on this issue, nor scratch our heads over why they won't. We must remember that nations don't have friends, they have interests. Where interests coincide, they can act like friends, but where they don't coincide, don't look for them to be doing each other any favors. In the case of illegal immigration, U.S. interests and Mexican interests are ships that pass in the night. We'll never get any help from them, and that's just the way the world works.