US-Mexico relations are failing. It has been failing for a while, and its failure is persistent and pervasive.
It’s driven by a scarcity of vision and leadership on either side of the border.
And if left unchecked or uncorrected, this failure could have catastrophic consequences for each nations at home and around the world.
There may be an inclination in Washington to approach Mexican relations through the lens of politics: trade, immigration, drugs, security, democracy and regional stability.
We’ve tried to cope with immigration and drug trafficking without addressing regional security or regional economic dysfunction.
And we let identity politics keep us from working on obvious problems.
It shouldn’t be racist to fix an underfunded and failing border and immigration system – nevertheless it is racist to accept the established order or demonize its victims in America and Mexico.
We focused on conflicts in Europe and Asia, but failed to lead at home.
Mexico’s failures have fueled a growing level of dysfunction and now populism. Leaders’ rhetoric has turn into more militant without motion or practical solutions.
![Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he could influence the US election.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/NYPICHPDPICT000008572904.jpg?w=1024)
Mexico’s president hinted last week that he could influence American elections and Latin Americans.
As mayor of Miami, I can assure you that any foreign leader who claims to have such power is gravely mistaken.
The hard truth is that these problems can’t be separated or fixed individually – they’re interrelated, interrelated parts of a bigger challenge, and can only be fixed as an integrated whole.
Quite than approaching the U.S.-Mexico relationship piecemeal, the two nations must mix national security concerns with economic security in a comprehensive deal that may empower the U.S. and Mexico, depower China and Russia, and provide a solid path to shared prosperity.
In brief, reversing the collapse of the US-Mexico relationship means coping all the things, all over the place, abruptly.
Success with the Mexican president shouldn’t be guaranteed given his track record. However it does mean a start for the next president and the next generation in Latin America who want to live in freedom and abundance.
First, we’d like to link the relocation of our economies to the security of our borders.
The US and Mexico could facilitate the return and adjustment of US production and supply chains from China and their near shore back in North America.
This could possibly be linked to economic zones in Mexico that might support US supply chains and manufacturing needs.
These zones would help absorb labor needs and immigration pressures in Mexico and throughout the region.
They might also contribute to Mexico’s economic recovery.
![Migrants detained by the Border Patrol near Mount Cristo Rey, New Mexico, March 20, 2023.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/NYPICHPDPICT000008526875.jpg?w=1024)
In return, the Mexican government will secure and stabilize the US-Mexico border as it really works to eliminate human trafficking and reverse the explosion of uncontrolled border crossings across the region.
Secondly, we’d like to link energy independence with shared prosperity.
The US and Mexico are energy superpowers with rising costs and aging infrastructure.
Each nations should open and integrate their energy sectors to diversify energy generation, reduce energy costs and expand access.
It will also make North America less vulnerable to volatile energy markets and provide jobs outside the drug economy.
Ensuring energy independence for each nations will strengthen the economy AND security.
![Fentanyl manufactured in China and sold by Mexican cartels has killed thousands in Mexico and the United States.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/NYPICHPDPICT000006726415-2.jpg?w=1024)
Third, we’d like to tie stopping fentanyl to stopping the cartels and stopping China.
Mexico is the first line of battle against the influx of fentanyl from China.
Like the opium trade in the past, fentanyl is manufactured in China and then smuggled through Mexico.
It has enriched China, strengthened the cartels and destabilized Mexico.
It is also been killing hundreds of Mexicans and Americans for too long.
Addressing it means disrupting the supply chain and support network.
The US-Colombia agreements offer a pattern that encourages Mexico as a full and equal partner to reverse the spread of fentanyl while justifying the use of US assets to reverse the flow of fentanyl.
We must stop accepting failures and those that gain from them.
Each nations have the talent and interests to solve a set of problems which are solvable, obvious, and self-solvable by either side.
Neither the United States nor Mexico can afford to break up this relationship.
The risks are real, but the rewards of reversing the collapse of an enormous strategic relationship are enormous. We just need imagination and leadership to achieve it.
It’s time for our leaders to do more and talk less.
Francis Suarez is the mayor of Miami.