Posted on 09/28/2006 7:52:37 PM PDT by Cagey
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico warned Thursday that the U.S. proposal to build miles of border fence will damage relations between the two countries.
The Foreign Relations Department said it was "deeply worried" about the proposal, which is working its way through the Senate, adding it will "increase tension in border communities."
"These measures will harm the bilateral relationship. They are against the spirit of co-operation that is needed to guarantee security on the common border," the department said in a statement.
The House of Representatives and Senate are maneuvering to speed construction of a 700-mile fence along the United States' southern border aimed at keeping migrants and criminals from entering the country illegally.
A House-Senate homeland security funding bill containing $1.2 billion to begin building the fence could be passed and sent to President Bush before lawmakers depart Washington this weekend.
Mexico's Foreign Relations Department said that only a comprehensive immigration reform would stop millions of Mexicans sneaking across its northern desert and swimming over the Rio Grande into the United States.
"A partial measure that is exclusively focused on security does not deal with reality and represents a political answer rather than a viable solution," it said in the statement.
President Vicente Fox has rallied against the wall, calling it "shameful" and comparing it to the Berlin Wall, which divided Germany.
President-elect Felipe Calderon, who takes over from Fox on Dec.1, has also spoken out against the measure.
There are an estimated 11 million Mexicans in the United States, about half of whom are illegal. Last year, Mexican migrants sent home more than $20 billion in remittances, providing Mexico with its second biggest source of foreign income after oil.
Opposed?? Duh, how come?
Hey Fox, the Berlin wall divided a single country! Our border wall would divide two separate countries!!
I'm opposed to it too. Damn thing is a waste of money, an election year boondoggle.
Of course Vicente Fox opposes the fence, it will prevent him from dumping millions of his unemployed, criminals, mentally ill, drug dealers and gangbangers into America. But not to worry Vicente, President Bush is on YOUR side; so the fences will take forever to build and they'll be undermanned, so there'll be lots of time to dump your riffraff into America so the big-spender Bush can use them to sure up the Social Security program that is going bankrupt under his watch.
How do they do it?
The fence is going to go up. Good fences make good neighbors, I believe our relations contrary to what they say in Mexico will improve.
How 'bout we make a deal. The United States gets to ship all of OUR poverty to Mexico for the next decade. Maybe then Mexico will understand. Until then, they need to shut up. It's OUR country. We'll put up a fence if we want to.
Too bad Mexico. You have already damaged relations with the US.
Looks like one of the "Log Cabin" Freepers got kicked out of bed today.
AMLO wants to destroy the wall with force if he gets power.
Blunt honest, sir. In Mexico's case arguments against their opinion usually have to be backed by a threat of blunt instrument or they refuse to take you seriously. They're playing American opinion against the fact of their brutalization of their own illegal invaders (many of whom don't live to return to their countries) seems to be a non-issue when Mexico's humanitarianism is compared to ours.
I don't trust the Senate to honor their word to build a fence. They will promise anything now, but after the election, expect ALL enforcement plans to be put on hold.
Hurt relations in border communities? What? The citizens won't be targets for your drug runners and coyotes anymore? Perhaps the wall might slow down the random shooting across the border too.
Morons. Like any sane person gives a rip what Mexico thinks. Oh, did you guys settle that election yet?
I think the major disconnect in his comparison is that the Berlin Wall was built to keep people IN, not OUT.
Big difference.
Fences make good neighbors.
I for one think the fence should also included Canada!
Ping!
We can start with the NOLA relocatees getting free housing and Debit Cards in Houston.
Mexico opposed?
Just confirms that it is a good idea!
They should be lucky my proposal never made the house floor. My fence was to be electrified with a saltwater moat on both sides filled with saltwater crocodiles and landmines before and after that. Oh ya, I almost forgot the sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to thier heads.
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