Latin American Neighbors Not So Neighborly Anymore

Mexicans fear that Guatemalans are illegally immigrating to Mexico. Colombians are moving into Venezuela to escape war, but are bringing violence to that country. Peruvians are entering Ecuador to sell as many finger puppets and alpaca scarves as they can. And Chile’s strong economy attracts all of the above. Basically, citizens of the region don’t want their tacos mixed with their arepas. Sound familiar?

In a mirror image of their U.S. counterparts, locals all over Latin America are complaining about illegal immigrants taking local jobs, spiking the crime rate, and draining tax dollars from the community.

The issue is starting to come up all over the region, in governments and among candidates who are running for president. Some say that reactions to undocumented immigration throughout Latin American countries have reached xenophobic levels. In an attempt to chill people out, many countries have fortified their borders while others are offering time-sensitive work visas.

We can only imagine what the Venezuelans are saying: “Get those stinky Nicaraguans out of here!”, or what the Mexicans are hollering: “¡Guácala! Don’t let the Salvadorians get near me!” Can’t we all just get along?

Latin America also faces immigration issues [Miami Herald]
Image [Alastair's Blog]