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President Donald Trump has decided that America will remain within the NAFTA trade partnership with Canada and Mexico for now, but he wants to renegotiate the terms of the partnership so as to further benefit American trade interests. As we consider trade relations among the NAFTA trade partners, it is appropriate to explore the connection between our trade relations with Mexico and the raging debate about illegal Mexican immigration.

For many years, there has been extensive debate about illegal immigration from Mexico and how American authorities should deal with it. There has also been extensive debate about the economic value and costs that Mexican immigrants here illegally pose to American businesses, labor markets and social institutions.

Yet, there has been little to no public discussion about the economic factors that have led the people of Mexico to flee their homeland to illegally enter the United States in the first place. As the president of the richest nation in the world seeks further trade benefits from its poorest NAFTA trade partner, I would like to better understand why Mexico is in its current economic situation, and what American and Mexican leaders can do about it.

Many Americans have voiced strong opposition to the illegal migration of Mexicans into America, and I bet that many Mexicans, if given the choice, would probably prefer to live, work and prosper in their own country. In this regard, there would be a mutual benefit to both Mexicans and many Americans if we would expand the public discussion from curbing illegal immigration to enacting beneficial policies that allow Mexican citizens to thrive in their homeland and throughout the NAFTA trade region. I dont know the answer to this issue, but I do have the following questions:

1. What kind of trade agreement do we have with Mexico, where thousands of Mexican men, women and children are motivated to risk their lives to illegally enter the United States for low-skilled, low-paying jobs, only to be treated like second-class citizens when they arrive?

2. Why does Mexico, which is the biggest trade partner to the most powerful nation in the world, not have the industrial capacity to employ many of its citizens?

3. What are American and Mexican leaders doing to improve economic conditions in Mexico, so that Mexican people dont feel the need to come to the United States illegally?

4. As the United States continues to espouse the virtues of capitalism and free trade, why are skilled Mexican professionals not allowed to work in their fields in America and throughout the NAFTA trade zone? The public perception is that Mexican immigrants here illegally have little education and few skills. Yet, there are highly trained Mexican professionals doctors, educators, lawyers, etc. who are working in America as low-skilled laborers because there are limited work opportunities in Mexico for professionals to earn decent wages, and because the governing bodies of American and Canadian trade groups, such as the American Medical Association or the American Bar Association, do not have parity agreements with Mexico. As a result, Mexican professionals are unable to legally practice their professions in America or throughout the NAFTA trade zone without redundant training.

Rather than remaining in the doldrums of narrow-minded and protectionist rhetoric, expanding the public policy dialogue on Mexico could lead to trade policies that mutually benefit the United States, while helping Mexico to prosper. At the very least, for those Americans who deride Mexican illegal immigration, Ive heard that a strong Mexican economy and job market is a great way to curb such behavior.

James Harris, Oak Park

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The other side of the illegal immigration debate - Chicago Tribune