Posted on 08/16/2005 6:53:53 PM PDT by Happy2BMe
Mexico's Fox protests as second US state closes border
Arizona ignored pleas for greater cooperation from Mexican President Vicente Fox to become the second US state to declare a state of emergency on its border due to rising illegal immigration, violence and smuggling.
Four days after New Mexico declared a 90 day state of emergency for border areas, Arizona did the same for its four counties on the Mexican frontier, citing uncontrolled illegal immigration.
"The federal government has to secure our border, and the health and safety of all Arizonans is threatened daily by violent gangs, coyotes (human traffickers) and other dangerous criminals," said Arizona governor Janet Napolitano in a statement.
"I intend to take every action feasible to stem the tide of criminal behavior on the Arizona side of the border," she said.
Napolitano explained her decision based on statistics showing that illegal crossings on US borders are as high as three million every year, and that as many as 700,000 new unauthorized immigrants entered the country last year, many through Arizona.
On Friday, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson issued the state of emergency along his state's border with Mexico, citing "recent developments ... including violence directed at law enforcement, damage to property and livestock, increased evidence of drug smuggling and an increase in the number of undocumented immigrants."
The moves followed the week-long closure at the beginning of August of the US consulate in Nuevo Laredo, on the border with Texas, following a rise in lethal gang violence in that Mexican city.
The state of emergency declarations for the two states' border areas opened the way for the two governors to tap into emergency funds to expand border control operations.
Napolitano said Arizona would be earmarking 1.5 million dollars in emergency funds "to combat the growing devastation caused by the crimes associated with illegal immigration."
Mexican President Fox responded Tuesday to the moves by the two US governors with calls for greater cooperation over border problems.
He exhorted the United States to coordinate with Mexico to resolve border problems.
"Instead of pointing fingers, let's have proposals; instead of each side working by itself, let's work together; only like this will we be able to win," Fox said.
"There are criminal organizations on both that side (of the border) and this side; there are drug users on that side and this side," he said.
Sean McCormack, spokesman for the US State Department, said Tuesday that the US government is working alongside the Mexican government to protect the border.
McCormack said in regard to Richardson's decision that, as the governor of New Mexico, he has the responsibility to protect his state citizens in the manner he sees apprpriate.
Mexican agencies continued to stress the need to cooperate on border problems. On Monday, Jose Reyes Baena, the governor of the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua, met with Texas authorities to discuss border security, especially the problem of drug trafficking, which has resulted in some 550 deaths along the border so far this year.
The Mexican foreign and interior ministries also said Tuesday in a joint statement that they were contacting Napolitano to discuss the new measures.
"We will watch to see that any action by police organizations remains respectful of the rights of our compatriots and respect domestic and international laws," the statement said.
"All talk thus far. Neither one has shown these colors before. Just the opposite.As far as I am concerned, it's BS until I see AP photos of convoys of trucks hauling illegals south."
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"The federal government has to secure our border, and the health and safety of all Arizonans is threatened daily by violent gangs, coyotes (human traffickers) and other dangerous criminals," said Arizona governor Janet Napolitano in a statement.
It's Arizona's border! Instead of shifting blame... why doesn't he take charge of the situation.
30 million illegal aliens gave him that idea. He might as well set up shop here, because there aren't very many legals left in Mexico.
"Does anybody really care what this poor excuse for a leader (Vincente Fox) has to say?"==============================
Yes. Very much. And his initials are G.W.B.
What an original idea! LOL
From everything I've read and heard, it IS that bad down there along the border. I can't imagine what the lives of our fellow U.S. citizens are like who have to live with these illegals coming through their towns and private property. I could go on and on.....makes me so angry that some folks still just don't get it at all. I think those who have a problem with doing something to secure our borders are either ignorant, selfish, and/or employ illegals to save a buck.
Easier to enforce the laws we already have. I'm all for a border with walls, fences and landmines but none of that would be necessary if we went after the emplyers of the illegals. We wouldn't need even a fence if nobody hired illegals. They'd stop coming and the rest would go home if only Americans could be hired in America.
Contact Governor Perry here:
No, I'm commenting on events in another state. You didn't spam the Michigan topics with this event, so I didn't flame you for it.
Look at what they DO, not what they SAY. There are several bills that are the opposite in meaning to this action.
Increased access to increased federal funding, is my guess.
" Am I on FR? Someone actually gets it?"
Yeah, and it ain't you. This is what Rush said the other day, and you stubbornly refused to comprehend.
" BTW richardson publiclly snubbed and humiliated minuteman leader chris simcox today on Hannity's show and simcox still was praising richardson, but simcox has as much venom fior Bush as cindy sheehan does."
You seem to lack the ability to make distinctions. You have a very shallow method of thinking.
Simcox is frustrated over a serious issue - one can argue he's done more about the issue than Bush has.
Sheehan is just a nutjob.
Yup, TExas and Kully have Pubbie Guv'nuhs. Let's see what they do. The Senate is worthless. Cornyn says he's going to "keep an open mind" about border control.
DONE!
And your point is?
Bush has had 4 years and 8 months to do something about our borders and the only thing he did was call some of our patriotic citizens - vigilantes.
These governors are making Bush look like a dumbass because he is.
Of course, I'm one of those extremists that believes all kinds of crazy stuff and am getting fed up ... I think we've reached a point in this country where the only appropriate response to our countries many and significant problems is ACTION - and I'm not seeing it.
If I performed my job the way our elected officials perform theirs .... well, instead of 26 years with the same organization it would have been 26 seconds. I try every election to chuck the deadwood but it doesn't work - too many of our "citizens" watch network TV, hear the sound bites, and vote in a way that diminishes our country a little more every 2 years. (/bitchin')
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