Good Afternoon,
We were wondering about this... Please don't crush me here....

Why do Mexicans sneak into the US? Can't they just simply walk through a border crossing like how I would go into Mexico? If anything I would wonder why they don't sneak back into Mexico (if they overstayed an amount of time).

Please...just an explanation...not a tirdae...

Thanks

I hope you don't get any tirades, dilbert -- a fair enough question if I understand you correctly. You have almost no trouble going into Mexico (or Canada) and wonder why Mexicans can't do the same coming into the US.

What you have never experienced is what non-Americans are likely to confront when they do try to enter the US. I don't know how things are post 9/11, but as someone who worked with foreign students a while ago, I certainly remember the questions the US immigration people were likely to ask even then, even if they had all the documentation they needed to prove they were legit students. Sometimes they needed proof of a round-trip ticket to make sure they wouldn't stay; sometimes there were questions about who would be supporting them when they arrived at their final destination. And so on.

I'm sure others can add lots more detail. But have you ever traveled overseas and had any Passcontrol people ask you how long you would be in their country, what the purpose of your visit was, etc.? Magnify that by quite a bit, and you'll get the picture.

If you look remotely Hispanic and try to walk across the border, you're guaranteed to be stopped. Even you if you are a citizen, you will still be stopped and questioned.

I think Mexicans don't sneak back over because they would prefer to live in the US.

Dilbert
Not a stupid question at all. I think Americans can walk across to Mexico because the Mexican gov. knows we will visit and not stay. I think Mexicans cannot walk across to America because most would not go back. They need to apply for Alien Resgistation if they want to stay and work here.

I'll take the question one step further. I think maybe dilbert is asking about those living or at least crossing in border towns. I've been to a number of the border towns and had the impression that it was very easy for Mexicans to cross over to do shopping or whatever on the US side. I've never understood why they don't just do that, and once they are across they stay -- are met by relatives who take them elsewhere and stay illegally. It seems it would be a lot safer and easier than trying to sneak under the barbed wire or running a border crossing like we sometimes see on TV. Or maybe many do, but why don't the others do that instead of the midnight sneak approach?

Patrick has it right....

He seems to say that, just like I can enter Mexico whenever I please, Mexicans can enter the US whenever they please.

So...why all the sneaking, fences, etc...

Just a guess - perhaps income level doesn't allow for a suitable guise when crossing over. If you look like you don't have two pennies (pesos) to rub together, I would guess you'd be more predisposed to get stopped.

I'd think most Mexican citizens with money would be flying to their destinations as they most likely don't live in border towns.

Same thing here....I went to college in San Diego. When I'd take day trips into Tijuana, there would always be Mexicans coming the opposite way into the US. They didn't look especially wealthy, either.
Usually they came over to go shopping at K-Mart or other large retailers in San Ysidro.

I always wondered the same thing, dilbert.

Living in Brownsville, Texas, I was also used to Mexicans coming across for the day. Often they would be coming to shop; some worked daily on the US side and just acted like they did a lot of shopping. There are loads of illegals living in and near Brownsville, but it's hard to get past the checkpoint on the highway a hundred miles north. if I were trying to come across, I'd do it at a border town, not in the desert.

I guess the question isn't that stupid at all. Nobody has yet given me a reason for 'irrational crossings'. It seems like you can come and go as you please.

Thanks for opening yourself up to this dilbert, and glad you didn't get slammed. I'll admit I've always wondered the same thing -- why they sneak over when it seems like entry could be pretty easy -- but never had the nerve to ask such a "stupid" question myself.

Apparently, Mexican nationals are required to have a visa.
http://www.ins.gov/graphics/services/tempbenefits/BusPleasure.htm