Fox says immigration on agenda of visit with Bush

Houston Chronicle ^ | March 2, 2004 | IOAN GRILLO

[RickofEssex]

Fox says immigration on agenda of visit with Bush

MEXICO CITY -- President Vicente Fox said Tuesday that he plans to hammer out more details of a guest worker program for Mexicans in the United States when he meets with President Bush at his Crawford ranch this week.

"The initiatives are there, and we have to keep on working," Fox said in an interview with the Houston Chronicle and other Texas newspapers. "The purpose of this visit is to follow up on the proposal."

Fox said the issues of Mexicans on death row in the United States and his nation's water debt to Texas may also be discussed during his meetings with Bush on Friday and Saturday.

Since he assumed the presidency in December 2000, Fox has been pushing for an agreement to legalize the status of some of the estimated 5 million undocumented Mexicans in the United States. But after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, Washington put immigration issues on the back burner while focusing on the war against terrorism.

Discussions finally moved forward in January, when Bush announced a plan to give renewable three-year visas to immigrants with jobs in the United States.

"We have to keep this debate going," Fox said.

In their talks about immigration, Fox and Bush are expected to also discuss a plan under which Mexicans who are apprehended after illegally entering the United States would be deported to their hometowns instead of being dropped along the border.

In a visit to Mexico last month, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said such a repatriation proposal would discourage migrants from immediately trying to cross the border again and would thus save lives. Hundreds of migrants have died along the U.S.-Mexico border in recent years.

Fox said the repatriation proposal would be acceptable only if it was voluntary and did not violate laws guaranteeing freedom of movement.

"Mexico is totally against anything that violates human rights," Fox said in the interview with the Chronicle, the Dallas Morning News, the San Antonio Express-News and the Austin American-Statesman.

Another controversial issue expected to be discussed in Crawford is Mexico's water debt to the United States. Under a 1944 water-sharing treaty, Mexico is to deliver about 350,000 acre-feet of water to the United States from its Rio Grande tributaries each year. After falling behind on payments in the 1990s, Mexico accumulated a debt of about 1.3 million acre-feet. An acre-foot of water would flood an acre of land one foot deep.

Geronimo Gutierrez, undersecretary for North American affairs at the Foreign Relations Department, said Tuesday that Mexico may offer an extra 90,000 acre-feet per year on top of its full annual payment. However, this falls short of demands made by Texas officials. During a visit to Mexico last month, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs said she asked the Mexican government for an extra payment of 700,000 acre-feet this year.

Fox said the issue of Mexicans on death row is also likely to come up this weekend.

Mexico has asked the World Court to investigate whether 51 Mexicans on death row in the United States were denied their right to legal help from the Mexican government. The court, which has no power to enforce its verdicts, ruled that the executions should be stayed pending its final decision.

[skeeter]

... and those scofflaws knowlingly employ them HEAVILY fined.

[Iberian]

Why deport the people that serve you when no one else want the jobs? Tell my why?? . When you drive the country side and see the grape and fruit pickers and other people that would not want those jobs WHY ?? why deport them?? they feed you.

[Iberian]

I don't know who you are but I bet that some one you know or works with you is a Mexican. Any takers??

[hedgetrimmer]

Summit of the Americas and FTAA agenda all.

[Iberian]

Deported!! I like that, thats a 2 day trip back. Mr. Bush has the right perspective on this issue, Mexicans and Hispanics are not our enemy, The freaking Arabs are!!
Deport the ones that are here and are not showing up for their classes (here on college visas), they are busy trying to kill us, not FEED us.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Texas should invade Mexico and take it over. Half of Mexico lives in Texas anyhow.

Funny, that's what they say about Arizona, Cal, Vegas, Tennessee, Washington, Georgia, North Carolina, Denver, Illinois, etc etc......

[Iberian]

Pokey, they are not invading, they are filling a void that we can not fill. As an american I focus on the issue of who is harming us. Are they? are the fruit pickers and other hispanics hurting us.

[Joe Hadenuf]

I'm not Pokey, Fred. He's up yonder on the thread.

[skeeter]

Why deport the people that serve you when no one else want the jobs? Tell my why?? . When you drive the country side and see the grape and fruit pickers and other people that would not want those jobs WHY ?? why deport them?? they feed you.

Wrong. I feed me.

I also educate and medicate illegals and their children to the tune of 4 billion dollars a year in CA.

I owe them NOTHING.

[primeval patriot]

When you drive the country side and see the grape and fruit pickers and other people that would not want those jobs WHY ?? why deport them?? they feed you.

We're all gonna starve to death gloom and doom.

[neutrino]

Fox says immigration on agenda of visit with Bush

Imagine that! I am, of course, shocked!

[skeeter]

I don't know who you are but I bet that some one you know or works with you is a Mexican.

You'd be right.

Your point?

[Iberian]

Good, good for you. Go ask the federal government for 4 Billion to educate and give jobs to our young so they can work in the heat and do the job. Oh wait, thats right shoot I forgot our kids are packing laptops and going to college... Oh where?? now do we find the workers before the grapes turn to raisins.
4 Billion is nothing in the scheme of things when providing INFRASTRUCTURE support to our great nation.

We are spending over 100 billion dollars to support the Iraqi cause and them sons of female dogs throw shoes at our troops.

[Iberian]

No point bud, they are not enemies. Thanks for the post :-)

[Joe Hadenuf]

When you drive the country side and see the grape and fruit pickers and other people that would not want those jobs WHY ??

You drive through the major cities and see hundreds of thousands of illegals, (not a piece of fruit in sight) as they are jamming our schools, social services, hospitals, jails, etc, etc...Why??

[yonif]

[PokeyJoe]

no, they are not filling a void.

Criminal aliens are a form of cheap labor "used" because Americans will not work for 2 dollars (cash) a day working six days, 12 on, 12 off.

Americans MIGHT take those jobs if they payed wages at market value.

BUT no - criminal aliens keep wages low so that sheeple can barf that they are "filling a void" while eating their Cafe Latte with a 25 cent Orange.

Don't get me wrong. I don't have nothing against Messicans. Heck, if I were Messican and needed to feed my family - I would swim across and cut my neighbors grass too.

The Irish were used in the northeast, the Chinese in California, Poles in Detroit, slaves in the south picked cotton, Messicans do construction and service jobs, and Dell now sends 80 percent of home and small business support calls to Bangalore India for one reason.

Two words: CHEAP LABOR.

Hate to say it, but that's also why I don't fear Messicans. After the Messicans, we'll just have another influx of some other people "filling a void" - and the song will still play on the radio.

It's been that way for hundreds of years. It'll be that way tomorrow.

Nothing new under the sun.

Which is why I advocate invading Mexico and taking Mexico over. We'll need additional sources of oil after the next US Civil War (between Urban centers and rural "fly over" country), not to mention competition for scarce resources from.... eeeek... CHINA.

[Hop A Long Cassidy]

Smoochie-poochie bump for Bush/Fox meeting.

Bush is telling us how he'll act during his second term.

If Bush was politically smart he'd cool it on his dance with Fox until after the election then he can really hose the Republican supporters who support Western Civilisation values -- they'll be caught like deer in headlights.

>>>"Mexico is totally against anything that violates human rights," Fox said"

LOL

Hoppy

[Map Kernow]

Why deport the people that serve you when no one else want the jobs? Tell my why?? . When you drive the country side and see the grape and fruit pickers and other people that would not want those jobs WHY ?? why deport them?? they feed you.

The last time I let a Mexican feed me I had to live on Imodium AD and Gatorade for the next two days.

[Iberian]

Don't drink the water. They get sick on our water as well. Difference in chemicals