To the Point

Illegal Immigration: Diplomacy and Economics

As the Senate debates immigration reform, President Bush is attending a North American summit meeting in Canc--n, Mexico. Mexico itself is coming to terms with a northward movement so massive it's creating ghost towns empty of men, women and children. The $20 billion migrants send home every year is that country's second source of revenue after oil--and ahead of tourism. We hear what Mexico's doing to improve conditions enough that Mexicans will stay home. What would it take to make a temporary guest worker program successful? Could either Mexico or the United States afford major change in things as they are today? We hear from journalists at the summit, economists, international policy analysts, and Mexican legislators. Making News: Reporter Jill Carroll is Released by Captors The release of the American hostage Jill Carroll is dominating today's news. When the freelance reporter for the Christian Science Monitor spoke to Baghdad Television, she said she was well treated during three months of captivity. Experience suggests that Carroll, who is not the only journalist seized in Iraq, is lucky to be alive, and her ordeal reveals how war reporting itself has changed. Farnaz Fassihi is Senior Middle East correspondent for the Wall Street Journal. Reporter's Notebook: US Raises Mileage Standards for Light Trucks, SUV's, Pickups and Minivans The federal Transportation Department has increased fuel economy standards for minivans, pickup trucks and SUV's. Secretary Norman Mineta says he's been tougher than he might have been because of the President's State-of the-Union remark that America is "addicted to oil." Are the new standards a step forward or a missed opportunity? Matthew Wald covers transportation for the New York Times.