Change Mexican corruption, not US immigration policy

Last week, we added a new member of our family - a 13 pound black lab puppy. Since I am a big fan of National Geographic's The Dog Whisperer, I immediately went out and bought Cesar Millan's book, Cesar's Way, to learn more about dog behavior.

While reading the book, I came across this passage:

It's been publised elsewhere, and I am not ashamed to say it: I came to the United States illegally. I now have my residence card, have paid a large fine for crossing illegally, and am applying for full citizenship status. There's no country I'd rather live in than the United States. I truly believe it is the greatest country in the world. I feel blessed to be living and raising my kids here. However, for the poor and working class in Mexico, there is no other way to come to America except illegally. It's impossible. The Mexican government is about who you know and how much money you have. You have to pay enormous amounts to officials in order to get a legal visa. My family had no way to get their hands on that kind of money. So, with just one hundred dollars in my pocket, I set out for Tijuana to figure out how to get across the border. (emphasis added)

Two thoughts struck me regarding this debate about our immigration policies:

1. Why do we have to change our policy when it is obviously a problem with the Mexican government. How easy it is for Vicente Fox to come here and lobby our Congress instead of doing the hard work of eliminating the corruption and graft of his own government. How arrogant, vain and downright lazy.

2. Why do we have to change our policy when we obviously have steps in place to help illegal aliens gain legal resident status. What the illegal aliens are lacking is not the ability to change their status in our country, it is the will and drive to do so. And no amount of "reform" is going to fix that.