American project; because the’ want tornbe just like us; because they w ant to he us.rnAs Heniingva would hac said, “Isn’trnit prett’ to tbink so.” Since Septemberrn11, few Americans can be tliinking prettilyrn—except niavbe John Miller, NationalrnReview’s resident immigration enthusiastrnand chief assimilation strategist. And —rnwho knows?—perhaps not e’en he. imericanrnjournalists, like Americans general-rnK’, hac to grow up sometime —don’trntiiey?rn— Chilton Willuwifion, jr.rnV I C E N T E FOX, Mexico’s president,rnbegan his state isit to Washington inrnSeptember b’ issuing a public challengernto President George W. Bush to grantrnamncsh to millions of illegal Mexicanrnaliens in the United States b year’s end.rnHe said he wanted a “bilateral migrarionrnagreement” that would eusme that “allrnMexicans entering the United States didrnso with the proper documents.”rnW’liat President Fox realK- wants is forrneven Mexican w ho mav ever wish to li ernin the United States to be free to do so.rnHe also wants millions of his conntrnienrnwho are already here to be “legalized.”rnLegalization would happen in waves,rnand tcmporar^ work restrictions wouldrnhalt low-skilled w orkers like mcatpackersrnor waiters from moving into higherskilledrnjobs.rnPresident k’ox’s challenge stems fromrnhis desire to create a “North Americanrncommon market” similar to Kruope’s,rnwhich would allow free moement ofrnpeople. The equalization of wages in arncommon market, he argues, is how German’rnand other prosperous Europeanrncountries stopped poor people from immigratingrnillegalK from Spain, Portugal,rnand Greece. He ignores the fact thatrnthose countries haxe functioning politiesrnand low birdirates, highly literate populations,rnand —b’ Mexican standards —bureaucrahernstructures that are paragons ofrnefficiene’, honesh’, and civic responsibility,rnhi addihon, those countries, unlikernMexico, have no irredentist designs onrnAmerica.rnNevertheless, there is a polihcal consensusrnin favor of amnesty (or, at least,rnthere was until Se|3tember 11), and itsrnpurported rationale is reflected in thernwords of White flousc Spokesman ArirnFleischer: “‘1 here are people who are alreadrnin this countn, eontribuhng to thernAmerican eeonom- even though tliernma not be legal, inid the’ are paing taxes.rnFleischer is mistaken: hnmigration isrnnot ecouomicalK uecessarv; at best, it is arnzero-sum proposihon financialK’, and itrncarries a huge social and cultural pricerntag. The consensus in Washington is notrnrealK- about economics but about ideolog-rnand the short-term objech es of special-rninterest groups.rnThe liberals want a Mexican amneshrnbecause thc are ideologicalU committedrnto American exceptionalism. TornHiem, am’ nohon of an American polihrnfounded on shared cdinic, cultural, andrnreligious bonds is strieth- verhoten. andrneer- step aimed at diluting that majorit}-rnis welcome. Their political chicle, diernDemocratic Partv, sees in diese futiu’crncitizens a ke- component in the blaek-rnHispanic-Jewish coalition Hiat has beenrncrucial to all of their recent presidentialrnand congressional ictories.rnCJOP leaders haxe gieu up on theirrnnatiual constituenc. Contrarx to thernwill of Republican oters, tlie’ subscribernto the establishmcntarian consensus onrnrace and dare not openh’ appeal to thernconcerns of European-Americans. Republicanrn.strategists pathehcalh hope thatrncompchng for the I.ahno “ote will saernthe part from its desered demise. “IfrnRepublicans don’t moe on this, andrndon’t find some leadership from thernWhite House, Democrats will seize onrnit,” sas Sen. C^hnck Ilagcl, a NebraskarnRepublican. “It would be almost folk’ tornlet this slip through our fingers.’ Hagelrnand his ilk are wrong: I,atino otes are notrnup for grabs; die’ belong to the Democratsrnnow and alwas. For the CJQP to becomerna willing accomplice in Fox’s designrnis folly for the partx and the nationrnalike, but few dare sa so out loud.rnThe unions see an opportunih to recruitrnnew members in the millions of uneducated,rnpoorh’ paid Mexicans. Thernchurches see a chance to fill dieir emph^rnpews. 1^ edcral and state bureaucrats wantrnto eater to them. Corporate Americarnwouldn’t mind een a billion new immigrants,rnas long as their influx kept .mericanrnwages down. “North America Doesn’trnNeed Borders,” the Wall Street journalrnproclaims. ‘Tegitimize labor flows andrnensure that Mexican workers in the USrnenjo’ the same legal rights and protectionsrnas their local counterparts.” echoesrnthe Financial Times. These special-interestrngroups care about America’s culturalrnand demographic profile about as muchrnas thc care about its industrial base.rnRegardless of die wording of the communiquernat the end of Fox’s isit, the onslaughtrnwill eontinne imabated acrossrn.America’s southern border, thanks to thernefforts of this countn”s deracinated elites,rncorrupt politicians, self-ser’ing miions,rnand globalized corporations. PresidentrnFox’s aplomb is due to his awareness thatrnthe moers and shakers in Washingtonrnare on his side. Doubtless, he can liardK’rnbelieve his luck. Exporting thousands ofrnangr’ and poor oung men a’erts the |30-rntcntial for raeialh’ based re’olutionarrn iolenee so familiar to Mexico. Sendingrnthem north of the border but allowingrnthem to retain dual citizenship is the bestrnof both worlds for Mexico. It reflects formerrnPresident Ernesto Zedillo’s frankhrnstated hope to “create an ethnic lobbrnwith political influence similar to that ofrn.American Jews.””rnWe will pay die price: I’hough PresidentrnFox”s avowed goal is to lift Mexicanrnliiug standards closer to those of thernIhiitcd States and Canada, he does notrnadmit that the corollar- of his project isrnthe lowering of our standards closer tornMexico”s. Illegal immigrants arc alread-rndraining .America’s resources —settingrnaside the social cost of their presence.rnThe idfimate price tag of what Fox andrnhis friends in Washington propose is therndestruction of the United States as the nation-rnstate of die American people.rnThe ruling elites w ill aid and abet himrnbecause die know that die e’er-grow ingrnpool of immigrants, legal or othcrw ise,rnwill permancnd enhance their centralizationrnof political, economic, and cultiualrnpower. Tlie’ are the social engineersrnof postnationalism par excellence,rnand w irii even’ fresh amnesh’, tlie’ makernthe possibilitv of the revival of the OldrnRepublic ever more remote.rnMexican fifdi columnists in the UnitedrnStates sec what is going on and makernno bones about their long-term ambifions.rnRichard Alatorre of the Los AngelesrnCih’ Council sa’s ot his Anglo neighbors:rn”‘Lhey’rc afraid we’re going to takernover the government and oHier institufions.rnThe”re right. We will take fiienirnoxer.” Prof Jose Angel (Tutierrez of thernUnixersih’ of I exas points out diat an agingrnwhite America is not making babies:rn”They are dviug. I he explosion is in ourrnpo]3idation. I love it!” Mario Obledo,rnCalifornia’s secretarx of health, edueahon,rnand welfare under Jerry Brown andrna recipient of the Presidential Medal ofrnFreedom from Bill Clinton, saxs thatrnCalifornia will be an Hispanic state —rnand “anx’onc who doesn’t like it shouldrn8/CHRONICLESrnrnrn