COLUMN: Barbara Robinson

     If one waits long enough, anything is possible.
      The state of Arizona has figured out how to make the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) benefit its citizens. In other words, Arizona has figured a way to save its taxpayers money while doing business in Mexico. This is, after all, what foreign trade agreements are supposed to accomplish.
      Arizona has proposed building a prison in Mexico for all of its 2,373 illegal Mexican prisoners. This sounds like a win-win situation to me. Illegal Mexican immigrants imprisoned in the United States get to go home and serve their prison time in their native land. There, they can eat the food of their homeland and have guards who speak their language. Visitor visas are required for non-resident aliens to visit family in U.S. prisons. Imprisoned in their own country, they will be able to receive more visits from family and friends, which sociologists tell us will make their imprisonment more bearable.
      We all know Mexican labor is cheaper, so Arizona should be able to build two prisons for the price of one. It can staff the prisons at the same level as U.S. prisons for about 25 percent of what it would cost in the United States. Everybody wins with this proposition. Mexican prison guards will enjoy working for a decent salary with benefits, and we will feel good about saving money by paying them so little. Incarcerating Mexicans in Arizona this year is expected to cost Arizona taxpayers $40 million.
      The savings don't stop there. Arizona will not have to air condition the facility at all. Minimum heat and flush toilets will seem extravagant by Mexican prison standards. Imagine the savings on TV and cable costs. Arizona won't have to deal with any American judges complaining about overcrowding. It won't have to pay prisoners salaries for working, as we have done in Nevada. The working poor will no longer be upset because prisoners are getting a college education that they themselves cannot afford.
      I can't imagine any Mexican judge ordering a legal library to assist prisoners with their frivolous lawsuits. This is where the deal becomes controversial. For some unknown reason a liberal American group doesn't think it's fair to subject illegal Mexican aliens to Mexican justice. These liberals feel that if you put one foot on American soil, all the benefits of American citizenship should immediately follow.
      If conservatives have their way there will be little difference between the Mexican and American prison systems in the next decade. Arizona has really done all of us well. The final savings will benefit all American taxpayers. Because the Mexicans will already be lodged in Mexico, the Immigration and Naturalization Service will not have to use manpower to escort the prisoners by plane to their home countries, where they hold legal citizenship. This manpower can be used to pursue illegal aliens who are displacing American citizens from jobs by accepting lower wages.
      If this solution is successful maybe the federal prison system will adopt it. All of the states sharing a border with Mexico or having Mexican prisoners could share a U.S. federal prison established in Mexico at discount prices. It takes more than $25,000 a year to keep a prisoner. Imagine the potential savings. Today, there are 11,000 Mexicans in federal prisons and 14,000 imprisoned in California
      The burgeoning U.S. corrections industry employs a significant percentage of the U.S. population. Arizona's initiative might trigger another industry's move to Mexico, forcing more Americans into unemployment through downsizing and closures. Imagine prison professionals finally learning Spanish to take advantage of expanding career opportunities south of the Border.
      Congratulations, Arizona. Do you have any other cost saving suggestions for America?
     
     Barbara Robinson is a retired attorney living in Las Vegas. Her column appears Friday.