There are a lot of polls around these days that refer to illegal immigration and mass amnesty, but the Rasmussen survey suggests that the less than a third of Americans believe Mexico is a friend. An earlier poll showed Americans don’t think Mexico wants the immigration problem fixed.

Mexico is by far the biggest sender of illegal aliens, so this attitude is not an insignificant item. If Mexico the national entity is hostile, then the mass of its population must be seen in the same way.

And why should the Mexicans want a big cash cow killed off? The pests south of the Rio Grande get over $20 billion in free-to-them remittances every year. It’s money that goes to poor families, and subtracts from social welfare pesos the Mexican government needs to shell out to its citizens.

54% Think Mexico Should Compensate U.S. for Costs of Illegal Immigration, Rasmussen Reports, May 6, 2013

President Obama met with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto late last week to discuss ways to reduce violence and drug trafficking along the border and stressed his continued support for immigration legislation that provides a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants now in the United States. However, fewer Americans than ever view Mexico as an ally of the United States, and most still don’t believe the Mexican government wants to stop the flow of illegal immigrants.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 30% of Americans view Mexico as an ally of the United States. Eight percent (8%) see the southern neighbor as an enemy. A bare majority (52%) thinks Mexico is somewhere in between the two.