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Posted on 03/30/2006 11:38:15 AM PST by Icelander
By Steve Holland and Randall Palmer
CHICHEN ITZA, Mexico, March 30 (Reuters) - Mexican President Vicente Fox played tour guide to U.S. President George W. Bush at ancient Mayan ruins on Thursday before holding talks to urge him to push through long-sought U.S. immigration reform.
Hosting a North American summit, Fox planned to offer tighter border controls and incentives to lure some illegal immigrants home, a pledge meant to help Bush convince a skeptical Congress to let more Mexicans work legally in the United States.
Bush and Fox, joined by new Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at Mexico's rowdy beach resort of Cancun, kicked off with a visit to the nearby 1,500-year-old pyramid complex at Chichen Itza, where some archeologists believe human sacrifices took place.
It was a rare sightseeing detour for Bush, who usually keeps to a tight diplomatic schedule, and raised speculation he was trying to revive a back-slapping relationship with Fox that saw them dubbed "the two amigos" at the start of their administrations.
Chichen Itza, a symbol of Mexico's status as the center of ancient Indian empires before the Spanish conquest, was placed under security lockdown for the visit by the three leaders.
Rifle-toting federal police in riot gear scuffled briefly with 30 Mayan handicraft sellers bearing signs that said "Bush, go home" and complaining of being barred from the site, and a handful of anti-globalization demonstrators.
The summit marked Bush and Fox's first meeting in a year, and immigration topped the agenda.
"This is a good start to a very important series of discussions," said Bush after touring the hot, dusty ruins.
The U.S. Senate opened debate on Wednesday with Republicans split on whether to back Bush's call for sweeping reforms to create a guest worker program and put some of an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants on the path to citizenship.
Conservatives in Bush's party, normally his allies, reject that as a form of amnesty and seek instead to erect a fence along a third of the U.S.-Mexico border and make illegal immigration a felony. The issue has brought out thousands of mostly Hispanic protesters in major U.S. cities.
NEW TEST FOR BUSH
With his job approval ratings at a low point, immigration is a new test of Bush's political strength at a time when his second term has been beset by woes.
Fox, who has failed for five years to convince Washington to let more Mexicans get jobs in the United States legally, is making one more push before leaving office in December.
His government worked with the Mexican Senate to produce a written document that recommends a crackdown on people smugglers as well as housing and economic incentives to attract undocumented immigrants into returning to Mexico.
That may help Bush win over some doubters in his party, but opponents of his approach will demand decisive action by Mexico, which accounts for more than half of all illegal immigrants in the United States.
Fox will tell Bush the document shows Mexico's "sense of shared responsibility", diplomat Geronimo Gutierrez said.
Mexican migrants in the United States sent about $20 billion home to their families last year, the country's second largest source of hard currency after oil revenues.
Mexicans once had high hopes for Bush, who took office promising to make America's southern neighbor a priority but pushed the region to the back burner after the Sept. 11 attacks.
In Cancun, police and sniffer dogs mingled with U.S. and European college students on spring vacations. Crowds were smaller this year with many hotels still closed after last October's Hurricane Wilma.
Harper, a conservative, said this week the Cancun summit would help build better relations with Washington after friction between Bush and former Prime Minister Paul Martin.
Bush hopes to solve a dispute with Canada over softwood lumber, but Canadian officials said a deal was unlikely in Cancun. Canada ships $6 billion in softwood lumber to the United States each year.
Washington has slapped duties on the imports, saying Ottawa unfairly subsidizes logging. Canada denies the claims and accuses the United States of being protectionist.
Admittedly this is anger, but does he have the cajones to put Fox in his place for once?
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HERE IS THE GOV. SITE WHERE YOU CAN ANONYMOUSLY TURN IN AN EMPLOYER YOU SUSPECT IS HIRING ILLEGALS.
PHONE 1-866-347-2423
http://www.ice.gov/graphics/about/index.htm
We all better bend over.
As significant as a UN protest note.
Under pressure.....but not from us?.........
Yeah! "Under pressure" - that's a joke.
Osama Bin Laden is rooting for Fox on this one.
I'd never get off the phone.
Bush's immigration policy has never ever differed from Fox's.
Both are 1000% pro-illegal immigration.
The more, the better.
Bush should be tried for treason.
Put your Senators under pressure to fight illegal immigration. That's the only thing that will work.
His approval ratings, here in America at least, must be going through the floor. I can't find anybody that likes him.
At least Arnold had a heroic record until he was backstabbed by his boss. Bush has been on a track to sell out his American peasants since day one.
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