Anyone who honestly thinks the USA is a "failed state" needs to contextualize what an actual failed state looks like. Murdering the president in his sleep is not a good look!
Mexico has had at least 88 political assassinations since last September.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/30/americas/mexico-political-kil...
The only explanation is rampant ignorance. How could one consider that, say, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia are all "under the same umbrella" except by simply failing to pay attention in school?
It's like saying that every country in North America is more or less the same.
Unless you studied it in college or on your own time, the only people who know much of anything about South American countries are people who’s social circles contain people from South America.
The US and Canada are not the same just because they both have functioning economies.
Even worse, "South American countries" in general don't have their populace "desperately trying to flee". Some might, many don't. The phrase "South American countries", as if Brazil and Argentina for example were a single entity, is so stupid it boggles the mind.
Here's my suggestion to you: educate yourself, learn about other countries, and stop making blanket, incorrect and offensive statements.
Generalizations are never 100% complete (by definition). But so much poverty and corruption, and so much desperate migration, sustained for such a long time (decades) is a picture of overall failure.
Mexico has the fewest excuses. It is perfectly positioned in the middle of the earth, with coasts on both the Atlantic and Pacific, and with abundant resources. They could be an economic _powerhouse_, with trade relations with the entire world (thing manufacturing, shipping, ...) if they could get it together (and I hope they do). But, history seems to show that isn't likely for a long time, if ever.
Yet you decided it was a good idea to call out "South American countries". It's not too late to admit you made a mistake, you know.
At this point you don't even know (nor seem to care) if you're arguing specifically about Mexico, all of South America or what.
Canada and the US being considered the same doesn't bide well for the quality of your generalizations, either.
Among other things walking (or traveling in any way, really) through the border area between Colombia and Panama, including southern Panama, is tough-bordering-on-impassable, even relative to crossing the US border in the desert.
I travel to Mexico somewhat frequently and although some things work differently then in the U.S by and large everything works. The power is on, the roads are decent, there are a very large number of fully stocked stores (including chains you would see in the U.S like Walmart and Home Depot).
Is it corruption and crime? Well by that definition many areas of the U.S are failed states. Or is it just politicians getting killed that makes a failed state?