Posted on 06/27/2002 6:13:47 PM PDT by 4America
Using some of the strongest language yet to demand an amnesty for illegal immigrant workers, Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge G. Castañeda suggested Wednesday that U.S. policy is responsible for the death of Mexicans at the border.
Castañeda, speaking before the League of United Latin American Citizens annual convention here, called on the U.S. government to reopen talks to "regularize" the status of the estimated 3 million Mexicans who live in the United States illegally. Negotiations on an immigration deal between the two governments progressed throughout the summer of 2001 but broke down after Sept. 11.
That has meant a continuation of the status quo, which Castañeda says is unacceptable.
"Let us recognize a self-evident truth," he said. "So far, U.S. immigration policies have failed to reduce undocumented migration from Mexico and instead have fostered a dangerous and even deadly black market in human beings. Many Mexicans, who want nothing more than to work hard and help their families, have died trying to enter the United States."
But even as he blasted U.S. immigration practices, Castañeda acknowledged that it would likely be 2003 before the Mexican government can get Washington to return to the table for meaningful discussions. He said it would be difficult to obtain a deal in a U.S. election year.
Before Sept. 11, Castañeda famously suggested that Mexico would settle only for the "whole enchilada," by which he meant that the government wanted a comprehensive plan to deal with cross-border migration. This included allowing illegal immigrant Mexicans to obtain visas as well as establishing new programs to bring yet more Mexican workers from across the border.
But on Wednesday, Castañeda suggested that his government is now willing to accept a more gradual process.
He noted that by lobbying local governments in the United States, the Mexican government has managed to make it easier for illegal immigrants to live a more normal life. The Mexicans have pushed to get their citizens proper identification and access to college, he noted.
Some of these efforts have paid off locally. Houston police now recognize an ID card issued by the Mexican government, as do some banks. The state Legislature passed a bill last session allowing illegal immigrants to get in-state tuition at colleges, provided they are graduates of a Texas high school. The Legislature also passed a bill allowing illegal immigrants to get a driver's license, though it was vetoed by Gov. Rick Perry.
Human rights groups have frequently suggested that U.S. policy has caused deaths along the border, a contention that is also supported by the authors of a University of Houston study. Researchers say that by making it more difficult for migrants to cross in urban areas of the border, the U.S. government has forced them to cross at the more dangerous points, such as the Arizona desert, where at least 53 illegal entrants are known to have died since October.
But David V. Aguilar, chief of the Tuscon sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, said his agents are trained to save lives, something they frequently do.
"A managed border is a safe border," he said at an earlier LULAC seminar.
Castañeda's speech culminated a day of seminars probing the effects of Sept. 11 on immigration. The panelists, almost all of whom favored high levels of immigration, called on the government to find ways to fight terrorism without jeopardizing the lives of law-abiding foreign citizens.
A number of new restrictions on immigrants have been implemented since Sept. 11. Bills approved by Congress call for more immigration agents, improving monitoring of foreign students and adding new high-tech visas that make it easier to track when a foreigner enters and leaves the United States.
But panelists said they were most worried by the actions of Attorney General John Ashcroft, who has implemented several policy changes at the Department of Justice that do not need congressional approval. Ashcroft has called for tracking down more than 300,000 illegal immigrants who remain in the country after being ordered deported.
The problem is Mexican policy.
What a crock. Mexico and only Mexico is responsible for the death of any illegal on our soil.
Castaneda need to learn that he is dealing with a different breed of cat here in America. We don't like to be pushed and we are not easily intimidated by the likes of him.
Which side will our government come down on?
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