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.”