Posted on 07/21/2010 7:04:47 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
In a mid-May White House visit, Mexican President Felipe Calderon pressed the immigration issue in a way that reflected its importance back home, clearly making official Washington uncomfortable with his demands for reform.
"For us, migration is not only your problem," he told the US Congress. "We also consider it to be our problem."
Many banners and posters - often in Spanish - have been waved for months in Washington and other US cities in rallies urging politicians to fix the country's broken immigration system.
An unprecedented state immigration enforcement law passed in April in Arizona only raised tempers on both sides of the issue and brought condemnation from Latin America.
The law requires police to request immigration papers during traffic stops and other routine interactions, if they suspect someone may be in the country illegally. Supporters insist the law is intended to be race neutral, but critics say the law will inevitably lead to racial profiling against Latinos in a state on the Mexican border.
After months of protests organized around the country, the administration of President Barack Obama filed a lawsuit challenging the Arizona law.
The Justice Department filed the lawsuit on July 6 in a district court in Phoenix, arguing that Arizona had infringed on the US constitution, which gives the federal government power over immigration policy.
Mexico, Ecuador and Argentina have joined one of the lawsuits against the Arizona measure.
Arizona politicians argue that years of federal inaction forced them to adopt the law in the first place. Rising fears of violence along the border from Mexican drug traffickers and people-smuggling rings have fueled the issue in the state.
The Arizona law is set to take effect at the end of July.
In some Latin American countries, US immigration policy is a domestic political issue, creating pressure on national politicians who elevate it to a diplomatic issue with Washington.
The United States is commonly estimated to have about 11 million residents who lack the documents to remain legally. Most are Latino, predominantly from Mexico, though several other countries across Central and South America and the Caribbean have significant populations in the United States.
In late May, Michelle Obama was speaking with a group of children at a school outside Washington when Daisy Cuevas spoke up. "My mom says that Barack Obama is taking away everybody that doesn't have papers," the 7-year-old said.
Scrambling to improvise a delicate answer with news cameras rolling, the first lady replied: "That's something that we have to work on, right? To make sure that people can be here with the right kind of papers, right? That's exactly right."
"But my mom doesn't have any," Daisy replied.
The US-born girl's mother was reported to be a Peruvian overstayer. US immigration authorities have not pursued the family.
Just days later, Peruvian President Alan Garcia held previously scheduled talks at the White House with Obama, indirectly endorsing the US president's still vague reform plans and asking the US Congress "to support this idea."
But immigration reform at the federal level does not appear likely to succeed at least in the short term, with mid-term elections looming in the US House of Representatives and Senate.
"Ahead of the November elections ... there is no way that it's going to be discussed, because for both parties it is an issue which can cause political problems," Honduran Congress Speaker Juan Orlando Hernandez said after a visit this spring to Washington, including meetings on Capitol Hill.
Hernandez said that legislators acknowledged "that this is an issue that needs to be solved. The problem is when to solve it."
excuse me? them and what army?
Great, let’s just adopt Mexico’s immigration policy.
Hurry! Quick! How fast can the heads of these countries get to D.C. to make their feelings known on the floor of Congress? Got to give them all their turns now, Calderone already got his.
Latin America?
Ain’t that the place with Chavez, Noriega (however it’s spelled), Mexico, etc?
Clean up your own house, folks.
We don’t need your refuse.
Oh, would you mind taking Obama off our hands?
He so much more fits your styles of govt.
(Apologies to Columbia which appears to be really trying.)
This is reason enough for America to nuke “Latin America”. Let’s do it!
They can kiss my Chalupa!!
Latin American can go stick it where the sun don’t shine.
“For us, migration is not only your problem,” he told the US Congress. “We also consider it to be our problem.”[p]
Let’s just copy Mexico’s immigration policies, then he’ll have nothing to complain about.
Demand?
How’s this for a retort:
I demand you stay the hell out of my country.
Yeppers indeed. May their Southern Border policy be Our Southern Border Policy.
Isn't imitation the best and most sincere form of flattery?
Just a bunch of Commies attacking the US, and who is speaking out to protect US sovereignty and citizens? Not a single RINO or CommieCrate among them. Know thy enemy, and also remember by their fruits you shall know them!
Latin America can frak off?! =.=
thank you...
We’re taking care of the South American dregs of society. We should be telling these countries to either pay us for the care provided to the South American illegals or we’ll tax the hell out of money transfers to South/Central American and Mexico.
We really need to just build Oxycontin manufacturing plants inside the US, along with a border fence, and then dump millions of the pills into every country that demands we “reform” our immigration laws.
To Latin America: The line for the privilege of kissing my grits forms right here.....
“...Know thy enemy, and also remember by their fruits you shall know them!”
Was that about Bawney Fwank!?
Oh, we'll fix the immigration systems alright, NO immigration from anywhere for the next 25 years. Like that fix?
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