Former Mexican President Vicente Fox did not miss the opportunity of his visit to Philadelphia to once again point out the failure of migration policies focused on building walls and chasing immigrants.

And he did so during his participation in the Latin America's Role in 2017 and Beyond Forum, organized by the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia at Villanova University.

In front of a crowded audience, the leader of the Aztec country expressed his concerns about the effects of the political use of the fear that the current administration of the United States is implementing to argue the supposed necessity of the construction of the wall in the border.

Fox was emphatic in recognizing the right of the United States to defend its borders and define its immigration policies, but drew attention to the need to do so on high standards of respect for human dignity and human rights.

Regarding the anti-immigrant agenda, the former president, who has become a kind of Latin American Quixote for his criticism of Trump, pointed out that it is nonsensical to attempt to build walls in an increasingly globalized world.

"What we need to do is build bridges of understanding, strengthen the exchange of knowledge, trade, build human capital instead of expensive walls that will not meet their goal," he said.

Instead of focusing on that venture, Fox advised Americans to look at experiences such as Europe, where richer states decided to open their borders and invest in their neighbors to generate wealth and common welfare.

The former head of the Mexican state between 2001 and 2006 recalled the immigrant origin of the United States and dismissed the supposed fear that his compatriots are coming to take the jobs to the Americans. "Mexican migrants do not come with the intention of staying indefinitely, they come with the idea of ​​making money to help their families and to be able to return eventually.”

For the former Mexican president, the current situations that many communities face across the US is just an examples of the effects that a narrative on fear can have.

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