Policy Brief on US and Mexican Relationships

Policy Project Brief
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Policy Project Brief
Writing policy briefs is an essential component of policymaking that involves providing concise evidence and supporting recommendations on the subject issue. This brief will begin by providing a brief description of the relationship between Mexico and the US, including the policy history of the US on Mexican immigration over the past 30 years. It will outline the recommended solutions to the challenges facing the US's policy concerning Mexican immigration before envisioning the possible political, economic, and security implications of these prescribed solutions.
The relationship between the US and Mexico is strong and vital, with enormous economic, political, cultural, and security implications. The extent of the bilateral ties between the two countries goes beyond diplomatic relations and includes wide-ranging commercial, educational, environmental, and cultural ties. These bilateral relations have a direct effect on the livelihoods of millions of American and Mexican citizens, whether concerning trade and economic development, environmental protection, drug control, education exchange, innovation, human trafficking, climate change, drug control, public health, migration, citizen security, and etcetera. Mexico is America's second-largest trading partner with goods and services and the top foreign destination for US tourists. Hundreds of thousands of Mexicans are granted American citizenship every year, while 1.6 million US citizens live in Mexico (Harmon, 2021). Moreover, Mexico is a source and transit country for legal and illegal migrants seeking asylum in America. Therefore, both countries are mutual partners in improving immigration policies, addressing illegal immigration, and tackling its root causes.
Unlike the lenient immigration policies of the 1970s and 1980s that saw large numbers of illegal immigrants arriving in the US from Mexico, the immigration reform of the 1990s was meant to crack down on uncontrolled immigration. The Immigration Act of 1990 employed a visa lottery system to liberalize the immigration of skilled workers while curbing the flow of unskilled immigrants into the country. However, illegal immigration continued to increase. There were calls for more restrictive policies, including the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act and the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, meant to increase penalties for illegal immigration (Massey & Pren, 2012). The two policies prevented undocumented immigrants from receiving welfare and doubled Border Patrol agents along the southwest border. After the 9/11 attacks, even more, stringent immigration policies were implemented, including the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002 and the Secure Fence Act of 2006. These policies allowed for the detention of immigrants without charge increased the scope of the Border Patrol, and saw the construction of 850 miles of fencing in the southwest region. Obama’s administration supported various comprehensive immigration reforms through such policies as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program...