Posted on 03/20/2005 8:13:49 AM PST by hophead
MEXICO CITY - Anti-immigrant sentiment appears to be growing in the United States, Mexican President Vicente Fox said Wednesday, and he urged U.S. officials to act quickly to control movements such as the 950-member-strong Minuteman Project on the Mexico-Arizona border.
Fox said he plans to push for U.S. immigration reform during a meeting with President Bush in Texas next week. He also said the two leaders, along with Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, likely will announce a plan to expand the scope of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Mexico's National Human Rights Commission recently issued a warning about several new grass-roots movements inspired by Arizona's Proposition 200. Other Mexican officials have cited the Minuteman Project, a plan by activists to patrol the border during April, as a sign of rising extremism. advertisement
"There are signs of these kinds of problems present today, and (they are) progressing," Fox said during a news conference for foreign reporters. "We have to act quickly and on time to prevent these kinds of actions."
He said Mexico is watching the Minuteman Project carefully and will take action in U.S. courts or international tribunals if any of the activists break the law.
Patrols start in April
"We totally reject the idea of these migrant-hunting groups," Fox said. "We will use the law, international law and even U.S. law to make sure that these types of groups, which are a minority . . . will not have any opportunity to progress."
Organizers of the Minuteman Project say they have signed up more than 950 volunteers, including 30 pilots with aircraft, to patrol the border for 30 days beginning April 1. The activists say they will notify the Border Patrol if they see border crossers and will not confront them directly.
Minuteman co-organizer Chris Simcox said participants are exercising their constitutional rights.
"Vicente Fox can rant and rave all he wants, but he obviously doesn't understand what a democracy means," Simcox said. "We have been working within the law."
'Walls don't work'
Fox also harshly criticized the construction of walls along the border, including a new "triple fence" planned for the San Diego area.
"We are convinced that walls don't work. They should be torn down," he said. "No country that is proud of itself should build walls. No one can isolate himself these days."
Fox said he understood Americans' concern about protecting their southern border. But he dismissed fears that terrorists have sneaked into the United States through Mexico. "We have absolutely no evidence of that," he said.
Fox will meet with Bush and Martin next Wednesday at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and at Bush's ranch in nearby Crawford. It's an effort to get North American cooperation back on track after the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Plan on Social Security
Fox said he will push for action on a "guest worker" program in the United States. He said that the U.S. population is aging and will need Mexican labor in the future and that turning millions of undocumented Mexicans into legal, taxpaying workers could help keep the Social Security system afloat.
The three leaders likely will announce a plan aimed at further integrating their countries' economies to compete against other trade blocs, Fox said. He called it a "new vision" that will not change the existing treaty.
It will include new border-security measures, ways to share customs duties, and a continentwide energy policy, he said. Other sections will focus on education, technology and the financial sectors, he said.
NAFTA's critics say the 1994 trade pact has cost American manufacturing jobs while hurting Mexican farmers. But Fox said the average Mexican income has more than doubled, to $6,505 a year.
Fox said the boom of assembly plants along the border has actually helped stop illegal border crossing by providing jobs for people who would have gone to the United States.
"That's also part of security on the border, to have this cushion where people can find a job on the Mexican side," he said.
Reach the reporter at chris.hawley@arizonarepublic.com.
I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of people in the US have NO PROBLEM WHATSOEVER with immigration. You see, immigration is a legal procedure, and it's been one of the things that's been a source of strength for the US, being a melting pot of cultures.
No Vinnie, the problem is two-fold. First off, with illegal aliens, who come across the border illegally. Secondly, those who are here illegally team up with America haters, and work hard to bring about a balkanization of America, where the different people can't even communicate. By keeping these people from integrating with society, they ensure that there will be an underclass, and stoke the fires of resentment and anger.
Hey Vinnie... I wonder what your response would be if the US were to start printing up leaflets promoting people from central and south america to "immigrate" into Mexica for jobs, without bothering with the legal process?
Mark
"Anti-immigrant sentiment appears to be growing in the United States, Mexican President Vicente Fox said."
WRONG! Anti-illegal immigrant sentiment is growing.
"... a plan by activists to patrol the border during April, as a sign of rising extremism."
Citizens wishing to protect their country is considered extremism by Mr. Fox. I say it's extremism for him to expect American citizens to just idly sit by as illegal immigrants trample over our country, our Constitution, and our pocketbooks.
"There are signs of these kinds of problems present today, and (they are) progressing," Fox said during a news conference for foreign reporters. "We have to act quickly and on time to prevent these kinds of actions."
The problems that exist all stem from Vicente Fox's constant support and promotion of illegal immigration. We have to act quickly to deport all illegals and to prevent illegals in the future.
"He said Mexico is watching the Minuteman Project carefully and will take action in U.S. courts or international tribunals if any of the activists break the law."
Now, wouldn't it be nice if he watched his own borders and his own people and took action to keep them from violating United States' law?
"We totally reject the idea of these migrant-hunting groups," Fox said. "We will use the law, international law and even U.S. law to make sure that these types of groups, which are a minority . . . will not have any opportunity to progress."
Minority? I think not. The majority of Americans are getting fed up with this willful violation of our laws, not to mention to willful inaction by our politicians.
"Fox also harshly criticized the construction of walls along the border, including a new "triple fence" planned for the San Diego area.
"We are convinced that walls don't work. They should be torn down," he said. "No country that is proud of itself should build walls. No one can isolate himself these days."
Exactly the opposite. The walls do work, that's why he doesn't want them; and any country that is proud of itself should protect itself. Political correctness be damned.
Fox said he understood Americans' concern about protecting their southern border. But he dismissed fears that terrorists have sneaked into the United States through Mexico. "We have absolutely no evidence of that," he said.
Illegals immigrants who leach off our society, costing taxpayers billions of dollars, the closing of nearly 100 hospitals, etc., are terrorists. They need to be removed.
I am speechless......
info you can use to add a certain flavor of realistic absurdity to volume two, neh?
Spend his time improving the standard of living in his own country, so Mexicans don't want to come to the US.
Also, I don't get this setup a guest worker program. There already is one - at least in California.
""We have to act quickly""
WE??? Like he has any say what happens here in America?? Where does he get off saying "we" have to act quickly to suppress these American thugs who are stopping MY emigrants from getting into OUR United States. (That's how I read it ;)
I'm beginning to like this guy. He used to tick me off but now I know, every time he spouts off, that many more Americans become aware of the situation we are getting into with illegal immigration, and that many more Americans wonder why he thinks he can dictate to us. Keep talkin Vincente.
""Fox said the boom of assembly plants along the border has actually helped stop illegal border crossing by providing jobs for people who would have gone to the United States.""
If this is the case, why are there more illegal immigrants than ever before? Wanta bet these are American companies, why don't they start a few companies of their own? They have lots of oil, they should be a rich country.
Maybe, just maybe, he should control his invaders.
Every US state that has illegals serving in prisons need to send Vincente the bill. Give him 30 days to pay up for their feeding, healthcare and services, or they get returned to Mexico City.
Where are the congress critters and Sin-ators when a ten horn banana republic leaders says such things.
apparently, the Mexican "Human Rights" org hasn't visited the slums of Mexico or the many villages without running water and electricity.
"we now get lots of oil from Mexico and if Mexico "
I am beginning to think also this has a lot to do with oil, Fox knows that Mexico has power to dictate to the US since we are at their mercy . He is ignorant however that a dictatorship is not the American form of government and we will only be pushed so far.
One way to solve this aspect of the problem is Nuclear power. We need to free ourself from the strangle hold of tyranny that these third rate countries such as Mexico, Venezuela, and the Middle east our imposing on our way of life.
Vast amounts of low cost Nuclear energy could also cheaply make it possible to mechanize many of the manual labor jobs, that business are taking advantage of from taking extra profits by shifting these Mexican worker's benefit packages over on to the US taxpayer.
No country that is proud of itself would want its starving people to have to risk life and limb every day in order to feed their families. Do you like the term Third World?
So....demanding that out borders be protected is "extreme" now?
One would think that Mexican President Fox would realize that every time he tells the US government how we have to take care of the illegal Mexicans he is turning thousands of Americans against him.
I'm sick and tired of getting advice from this silly bastard..
He should pay a little more attention to Mexico's problem -- or we may have to invade again..
Semper Fi
So does that mean we can take action against the Mexican government...who is violating our law by aiding illegal aliens in sneaking into our country....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.