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.
Washington, DC: President Bush made clear today that he thinks guest workers should be able to become American citizens. He stated, "I believe that we ought to say to somebody doing a job an American won't do, 'here is a tamper-proof identity card that will enable you to be here for a period of time. And if that person wants to become a citizen of the United States, because we're a nation of laws, they get at the end of the line, not the beginning of the line."
Senator Kennedy issued the following statement in response:
"I commend President Bush for backing the position that guest workers should be given the opportunity for earned citizenship. It is the only realistic way to break the cycle of illegality and is an essential aspect of the McCain-Kennedy three-part strategy to fix the broken system: stronger enforcement to improve our national security, a temporary worker program to meet the need for future flows that includes the opportunity for earned citizenship, and a path to earned citizenship for those who are already here.
As the President departs for Mexico today, he has before him an opportunity to fully embrace bipartisan comprehensive reform and the McCain-Kennedy plan. As he rightly says, we can be both a nation of laws and a welcoming nation."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1605756/posts
You're right about W; he doesn't have that much power.
I also blame Congress as much as him. And who runs Congress...hmmm...
(MY Congressman is a communist Democrat whose seat is securely gerrymandered. We'll never get rid of him.)
No, and now Fox has a new plan! The US should 'invest' in rebuilding Mexico's infrastructure. Basically, they want a brand new modern country a la USA. And they want the US to fund it and build it and then get the heck out. This is called 'integration' with our neighbors. Pardon me while I get sick.
This problem is much too big for the individual states to handle and Federal troops can be used. It's a clear cut invasion of the United States by a foreign nation.
You must hang out with liberals because you have the same opinion of Bush as Sheehan.
We are going to get speaker pelosi because of what you just said.
People are under the myth that you can control congress with only 51 senate seats.
You need 60 senate seats to get any legislation passed in congress.
Bush has never had his party control congress.
On everything from judges to legislation bush has needed tom daschle and harry reid's approval.
Daschle wasn't an obstructionist because republicans controlled congress. He was an obstructionist because he had the 41 dems to filibuster whatever he wanted.
I'm sure your friends will love Speaker Pelosi, President Hillary Rodham and Majority Leader Reid.
I'm sure you will love some race baiting supreme court justice nominees Hillary picks.
I'm sure you will love HillaryCare.
I'm sure you loved when Boxer tried to stop Bush's victory last year screaming about Diebold?
I'm sure you will also love Chairmen kooks like rangel, conyers, waxmen impeaching bush.
I'm sure you love democrats like nagin and blanco going after Bush.
Bush must be doing something write when he has these kooks in a frenzy.
Our President is a has-been
We all would probably put in federal prison and they would throw away the key UNLESS you came here illegally than you can do whatever the H*ll you want! (sarcasm)
Bush is real terrible, he gave us roberts and alito instead of two ruth bader ginsbergs.
Bush is trying to drill in anwr, fix social security.
What the hell don't you like about Bush.
You need 60 seats in the senate to get anything done. Bush would love to end medical malpractice junk lawsuits, end estate tax.
I am sick to death of Bush haters. If you want to be in the same company as sharpton, jesse jackson, farakkhan bashing bush then you are disturbed.
I want to know what Bush has done wrong from the Perot loving Clinton brigade?
It is the job of the executive branch to enforce the law.
What point is there in legislation if the President willfully disregards and refuses to enforce it?
Here's the deal. We want 100 barrels of oil for every illegal Mexican here.
100 x 11,000,000 = 1,100,000,000 barrels.
I know the way to conserve oil for the next century, deport and keep out 20million illegals.
Yeah Bush is a real spanish ass kisser?
He didn't pick gonzalez for the supreme court?
I can't think of one pro hispanic legislation that Bush has pushed.
To call him a spanish is an outrage.
Bush has put predator drones on the border.
Bush has said he would sign the bill with 700 miles of a fence, real spanish ass kisser.
Bush ended Clinton's formula which stopped illegals getting more population in the census.
Bush allowed texas's redistricting to go ahead which divided hispanic districts up to elect pro american republicans. Bush is a real spanish ass kisser.
Bush has ended the catch and release program for illegals, real spanish ass kisser?
Bush picked anti affirmative action supreme court justices, real spanish ass kisser?
Bush has been as pro u.s as your going to get.
Bush's policies are fine, the problem are his critics who are out of control with their lies.
Bush needs to hit back against these traitor critics of his.
You're still missing a few talking points, you need to go back to your handlers and repent your sins. They still might have another useful job for you. But you rate a Grade D - for this one.
Were you one of those supposed conservatives saying how tough hillary was on illegals.
Hillary said a few words to hannity and it seemed like the pat Buchanhan lovers were in love.
Even though Hillary had already attended la raza conventions wanting calling for u.s taxpayers to pay for illegals tuition costs.
Even though she was for affirmative action for illegals and had voted for amnesty for illegals I saw many posts on here claiming how tough she was on illegals. Even after she voted against more border agents and more detainee beds.
A lot of the same bush haters were also posting how tough hillary was on illegals.
I guess they will somehow spin her latest comments about criminalizing jesus to how tough she is on illegals.
Fox was a big Coca-Cola exec.
To call him a spanish is an outrage.
Good, I was hoping you would not skip the Hillary boogeyman talking point. Only a couple more to go....!
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