Iowa's Relationship with Mexico
by Paul Deaton“That
Iowa agribusiness is supported by federal subsidies, reliant on cheap energy, and dependent upon producing large quantities of row crops of corn
and soybeans with very few farm workers is a characteristic of Iowa
exports that makes it hard for Mexican farmers to compete.“
Iowans don't think much about our relationship with Mexico, but maybe we should. The number of Iowans of Hispanic or Latino origin has grown to more than 135,000 people and comprises 4.5% of Iowa's population, making Hispanics the largest minority population in the state. While Iowa lags the national average in percentage of Hispanic residents, most people recognize the increased numbers in the state in the form of the challenges of delivering public services, competition for certain construction jobs, and the highly visible immigration raids in Marshalltown and Postville. Our relationship with Mexico is more complex than what is obvious to all.
What we don't hear about is the way Iowa is tied to the Mexican economy and the importance of improved U.S.-Mexican relations to agriculture. According to the United States Department of Commerce, during the first six months of 2010, Iowa exported agriculture and livestock products valued at $417,712,094 and 73.4% ($306,773,989) of that went to Mexico. If we add in agricultural and livestock exports to Canada, these two countries make up 82% of Iowa's export market. Iowa and its agribusiness have been a primary beneficiary of NAFTA.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, in 2008 there were 108,072 acres in Iowa in organic crops, rangeland and pasture. Compare that to the 30,747,550 acres that make up Iowa farmland and it is easy to see that industrial agriculture is the primary beneficiary of good relations with Mexico. That Iowa agribusiness is supported by federal subsidies, reliant on cheap energy, and dependent upon producing large quantities of row crops of corn and soybeans with very few farm workers is a characteristic of Iowa exports that makes it hard for Mexican farmers to compete. Some say that the surge in immigration from Mexico to the United States after NAFTA was driven partly by Mexican farmers being driven out of business by cheap imports from the US.
During the 2010 midterm elections, immigration has become an issue discussed at newspaper editorial boards across the state. Among most Iowans, there appears to be common ground in that most say we should enforce the law, protect the borders and hold businesses who knowingly employ undocumented workers accountable. Critics point to the Mexican trade in methamphetamine and coyotes trafficking in people along interstates 80 and 35 as significant social problems. The
truth about this is that undocumented immigrants perform work that
Iowans don't want to do like harvesting produce, pruning apple trees and
grape vines and working in packing houses. It is the economic benefits
of living in the United States that pulls Mexican workers here. As long
as that continues to be the case, and employers need the labor and won't
comply with the law, immigration reform seems unlikely.
According to Iowa Public Television, “Mexican immigration to the United States has occurred for several generations, but the permanent settling of Mexican immigrants in Iowa is a recent phenomenon. The relationship between these immigrants and their hometowns in Mexico remains strong, especially among first generation newcomers. Direct phone communication, the availability of Spanish language media and the proximity of Mexico to the United States means that immigrants are often in daily contact with family, friends and neighbors back home. Annual trips back and forth across the border are not uncommon. Latino newcomers in Iowa often provide crucial financial assistance to their families, communities and churches back in Mexico.”
Iowa's ties to Mexico are becoming increasingly strong. Like with many immigrant groups, there is an insularity of culture that ties Hispanic communities in Iowa together. To the uneducated, it can raise suspicion that our immigrant populations are up to no good. This is not borne out by the facts. When we consider the entire relationship between Iowa and Mexico, it is clear there is a symbiosis without which life in Iowa would be more difficult, regardless of from where our ancestors came or in which segment of the economy we make our living. For Iowans, time spent on understanding our relationship with Mexico can lead to mutual tolerance and respect that can only be good for ourselves and our communities. ~Paul
Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend
editor of Blog for Iowa. E-mail Paul
Deaton
Blog For Iowa 