Mexican Potatoes Now More Welcome in U.S. Than Actual Mexicans
Mexican potatoes, previously unwelcome on our fair shores, are now permitted the enter the country legally and in large numbers. Still waiting on that immigration reform, though.
Via the Competitive Enterprise Institute's Ryan Young, here's last week's Federal Register entry about this exciting development in spuds:
We are amending the regulations concerning the importation of fruits and vegetables to allow the importation of fresh potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) from Mexico into the United States. As a condition of entry, the potatoes must be produced in accordance with a systems approach employing a combination of mitigation measures to prevent the introduction and dissemination of plant pests into the United States. The potatoes must be imported in commercial consignments, must be produced by a grower who is registered in a certification program, must be packed in registered packinghouses, must be washed, cleaned, and treated with a sprout inhibitor, and must be inspected after packing for quarantine pests. The potatoes must also be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate that declares that the conditions for importation have been met. Finally, the national plant protection organization (NPPO) of Mexico must provide a bilateral workplan to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) that details the activities that the NPPO of Mexico will carry out to meet these requirements, subject to APHIS' approval.
(Mexico has announced its intention to allow U.S. potatoes to move south as well.)
The whole process sounds pretty unwieldy, and if you're caught crossing the border with a bunch of heritage taters in a secret compartment in your car, you're still going to be in big trouble, you crudité coyote.
But it's now a heck of a lot easier to get a spud across the border than it is to import a human. Even if that person wants to work, wants to get in line and follow the rules, and just wants to be loved.
In related news: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) argued in a speech today that the GOP need to get "beyond deportation."
