Economic development in Mexico and immigration reform

I had wondered whether the bill addressed economic development in Latin America, and in fact it does so for Mexico in Section 645. It is framed, however, in terms of “economic freedom,” as in “Strengthened economic freedom in Mexico can be a major influence in mitigating illegal immigration.” Study after study, however, have shown that neoliberal reforms and NAFTA have increased illegal immigration.

The suggested solution is a bit puzzling. It calls for coordination between universities in the U.S. and in Mexico “to provide state-level coordination of rural poverty programs in Mexico.” I am not sure, but I guess this is an effort to avoid coordinating with the Mexican government at any level. But since universities have no authority over poverty programs, how can they do any coordinating?

Finally, if I understand it correctly, one of the last lines is pretty galling:

LIMITATIONS- Grant funds awarded under this section may not be used for activities, responsibilities, or related costs incurred by entities in Mexico.

So, we have this program to fight poverty in Mexico. We do not want the Mexican government involved, and we won’t pay a dime to any Mexican entity that gets involved.