Here's a point Congressman Culberson is missing regarding the latest immigration reform bill: Reciprocal Equal Protection.

In fact, most folks who want to close the border are not realizing the true economic impact afforded by a defacto one-way open border.

An illegal immigrant has almost total power and control to create business(es) on BOTH sides of the border. This is something that a native U.S. Citizen does not have. An illegal immigrant can source goods and services (very cheaply) across the border, enabling their U.S.-based operations to grow exponentially, driving out native businesses who are hamstrung with unequal access.

In a most real effect, the latest immigration reform bill creates a class of "super-residents" who have practically unlimited cross-border liquidity. These super-residents, hiding behind the stereotype of lawn mowers and construction workers, will greatly increase their ability to starve-out U.S.-native businesses and depress salaries for native U.S. workers and legal immigrants. For the U.S.-native, their options and access to opportunity is currently, and will be much more so in the future, greatly dimiished.

While Equal Protection is many times limited to the context of equal protection under criminal law, where is the equal protection for U.S. citizens who will be relegated to a sub-class under this new breed of non-citizen "super-resident"?

--The above is a well-stated point by Charles to me. --- Tom. I concur. Also, I would add that:

The Mexican law limiting freedom of economic and many other activities by Americans in Mexico is long, extensive, in many particulars much more harsh against both legal and illegal immigrants from the United States to Mexico, than is U.S. law as to either legal or illegal immigrants from Mexico to the U.S.

We damn well should not be embarrassed about hardships on Mexicans illegally in the U.S., when Mexico’s law against even fully legal American immigrants into Mexico is so much more harsh in a number of particulars.

--- Tom.