The time of year has arrived when many, many Latinos in the U.S. return to their country for the holidays. Mexicans in the U.S. are no exception.

Mexico for example is expecting 1.2 million people to return to the country during this time. Many drive to their home country to be with family and friends. Unfortunately, corruption is still rampant in Mexico and some government agents take advantage of travelers. Those that travel by car many times face the prospect of having to pay “mordidas” (bribes) to government agents at the many immigrant inspection points in route to their destination.

Mexican president Vicente Fox wants to combat this with the implementation of the Paisano Program. According to Fox More than 1,300 people will participate in the program as observers and volunteers. It is the goal of the program to “supervise and guarantee the well treatment of travelers.”

It’s good to see that the Mexican government is taking action to combat this problem that in years past was an inevitable fact when traveling in Mexico. It’s good that Fox wants to help out his paisanos but at the same time one can’t help but feel cynical. Is Fox doing this out of the goodness of his heart or is he doing it because he realizes that his paisanos are going to be bringing the almighty dollar with them.

Via / Univision