One of the key divisions in the upcoming American Presidential election is how to best deal with illegal immigration.  On one side of the argument supporters say that a fence should be erected between the American southern border and Mexico where the vast majority of illegal immigrants enter the United States.  Another faction believes in amnesty for illegal immigrants already living in the United States.  Some proponents of amnesty have created the Dream Act where qualified undocumented youth will be eligible for a conditional path to citizenship that lasts six years and requires a college degree or two years of military service.

Regardless of their stance, most people will agree that the underlying problem behind most illegal immigration is in Mexico itself.  Many Mexicans choose to leave their own country for a life free of fear and uncertainty.  Some will pay thousands of dollars and risk their own lives to be smuggled across the border for the promise of a better life.  Many leave Mexico because they are scared of the violence caused by the quarreling drug cartels and because they are unable to work.  These driving factors need to be a focus in addressing illegal immigration.

Recently, it was reported by the Houston Chronicle that Mexico has disbanded the entire police department in the port city of Veracruz in order to rid the police of corruption and restore effective security for its citizens.  While new police officers are being trained, the Mexican Navy will be in charge of security in the city.  This comes after the region saw some of the worst violence in the Mexican Drug War – 35 bodies were dumped in the city – victims of skirmishes between two rival drug gangs.

This is not the first time the remains of the drug war violence were made public.  Throughout the past few years decapitated heads and bodies have been found on both sides of the border.  These are very public showings of a growing conflict between several drug cartels themselves and the police.  While most of the violence has remained in Mexico, the threat remains for violence to spill into the United States.

One of the main difficulties in ending the drug war is that many members of the Mexican police are corrupt and paid by the cartels.  The Mexican government is trying to stop this problem and regain order by bringing the military into these regions to maintain peace and safety while they completely revamp their police forces.  Though this is an effective way to rid the police of corruption, it will take quite some time to accomplish.

While the Mexican government is ridding the police force of corruption something needs to be done to stop the growth and strength of the drug cartels.  Poverty is one of the key factors leading to the draw of the cartels in Mexico and the increasing illegal immigration into the United States.  According to Reuters, the number of Mexicans living on $150 or less a month totaled 58 million in 2010 representing an increase of 12.5 million since 2006.  As there are an ever increasing number of people unable to provide for their families, it is no wonder that these people are choosing to work for the drug cartels.

While many of the population barely have enough income to survive, Mexico is home to a large amount of natural resources.  According to the United States Department of State, in 2010 Mexico was the 7^th largest oil producer in the world and the 2^nd largest American oil supplier.  However, the wealth and power from this lucrative enterprise is exclusively controlled by a few as the state owned Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) exercises a monopoly on the nation’s oil.

Whomever is elected as the Mexican President in the upcoming 2012 election needs to make reducing the number of people living in poverty one of their upmost priorities.  One way to reduce poverty is to create more jobs.  As more jobs are available and people have a better outlook for their future less will choose to leave Mexico for an unpredictable life in America.  Likewise, the more jobs available the less likely people will join the ranks of the drug gangs.  If the government reduces the number of its people living in poverty and continues the fight against the cartels, Mexico should become a much safer country to live in and create a safe and prosperous future.

The fight to create more jobs and rid Mexico of its drug cartels will take many years, but ultimately this is a fight that must be started in order for the Mexican people to be safe and secure.  In view of Mexico’s vast wealth and natural resources it seems these problems could be resolved if the leadership had the political will to do so.