What NAFTA did to the Campesinos...

Some people think that I'm here in this country because I want to get rich ... Some people tell me that I'm here without necessity and by choice... Some people do not realize that because the agreements made by the governments of United States and Mexico, millions of people are displaced, marginalized , living in poverty, and forced to leave their country. The problem that causes us to migrate is the lack of opportunity, lack of employment, no food, no education, basic needs not being met. Mejicanos are already very poor because of what NAFTA did to the campesinos, if they sell PEMEX, Mejicanos are going to be even worst off. I think that the American government is always out for their own profits, which is money and power of resources, and does not acknowledge how much damage their decisions will have on poor people.

I walk through my land and I see only what remains after the sale of our national resources... houses with roofs made of cardboard and foil that get flooded when it rains, houses without basic needs like having a bathroom inside... no longer would we have the employment that gives us the money to purchase the food that feeds our families... We'd be going back to time we already had to struggle through, and almost died doing so... a time of sheer poverty, people without jobs, children without having anything to eat, elders living without dignity on the streets of their villages ... I am sick, but which clinic do I go to? The clinic that shut down in my town or, the clinic which closed in the next town... All this happening, while on the other side of the border, CEOs, lobbyists, and investors of American corporations, and the poverty of Mexico still worstens. Everything that we have fought for, would be lost again. PEMEX oil companies should stay as Mexican oil. They belong to Mexico and its profits should be for the Mexican people ... in Mexican soil.

According to David Bacon, "The impact of the sale of PEMEX would be as detrimental as the impact of NAFTA to the Mexican people." David Bacon has written books on the causes of immigration, and did us the favor of answering our questions during an interview. Mr. Bacon continued, "The causes that force people to immigrate from Latin America are direct consequences of the decisions made by the U.S. government." This commentary from David Bacon assured me on what I thought all along, I think that if they sell the oil refineries of PEMEX, we would have more poverty in Mexico and cause more people to immigrate to this country, with a just cause ... a consequence of immigration caused by the U.S. ... Again repeating history, and always to the benefit of the United States.

Some people in this country think that we immigrate to the United States because we want to get rich by stealing the natural resources, but the reality is, that the U.S. are the ones that steal our natural resources and agriculture, forcing us to leave our land and come work for less than the minimum wage. All we want is to survive and offer a better life to our children. To get to this country, I left my family, I left that which I most love, I left my few belongings, I left my homeland that I miss so much... This is the result of agreements made by governments without consulting or considering the needs of the people.