The Pluses of Self-Deportation

Nor can Latinos argue with Romney's other point -- that it's always better for people to make their own choices rather than let the government make those decisions for them. The Obama administration taught them this lesson when it deported 2 million people, divided hundreds of thousands of families, and callously dumped thousands of U.S.-born children into foster care.

Guess what? People who "self-deport" take their kids with them so families are left intact. Which way is more humane?

Frankly, I was once as skeptical as Martinez about the idea of self-deportation. I thought it was a fantasy -- one shared by nativists in the Republican Party and union workers in the Democratic Party. I was convinced that illegal immigrants would never voluntarily leave the United States, especially since many of them go to so much effort to get here.

That was before the U.S. economy soured, the Mexican economy rebounded and people started packing their bags. According to a survey last month by the International Monetary Fund, the Mexican economy has a growth forecast of 2.4 percent this year and 3.5 percent in 2015. It is all because of major reforms in the energy, telecommunications and financial sectors. Many of those who decided to stick it out on this side of the border found themselves in such bad straits that they went from sending money home to borrowing money from home just to survive in the United States. Once some of them figured out that this reverse dependence defeated the whole purpose of migrating to another country, they began to leave.

Then there are those folks who will never make the journey in the first place. Today, net migration across the U.S.-Mexico border is near zero and many folks have opted to remain in Mexico anchored by the same powerful force that drew others here and may now lead them back home -- opportunity.

There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, there is a lot right with it.

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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com.