Free Republic

In the late 1970s I was working for Crocker National Bank in California, which at the time was the eleventh-largest bank in the country. A friend of mine worked for one of its offices along the U.S.-Mexico border in California's Imperial Valley. At the time, the president of Mexico announced to the public that his country was considering a monetary devaluation of its currency. He told his fellow countrymen that it was imperative that Mexicans everywhere not move their currency out of Mexico (and into the U.S.). As an operations supervisor at the time, I was keenly aware of the...

Where is Reverend Al Sharpton's apology? "Black leader" and former presidential candidate Al Sharpton recently capped off a busy week by demanding apologies from Mexican President Vicente Fox and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca. Fox, in defending Mexican illegals working in America, said such workers take jobs that "even blacks" refuse to do. Enter Sharpton. He demanded an apology, arguing Fox's words "confirm the stereotype that blacks are the lowest peons in the workforce of this country." Although Fox promptly "clarified" his remarks and told Sharpton that he "regretted any hurt feelings," Sharpton remains unappeased. "If I step on...

Mexican President Vicente Fox yesterday accepted an invitation to meet with blacks in Harlem, amid controversy about remarks he made that some have construed as racist - but he refused to issue a formal apology.

MEXICO CITY - A Mexican official says his government "absolutely and emphatically" rejects miltarizing the border.Mexico is responding to a congressional report claiming that 36-thousand National Guard troops posted on the border could stop undocumented immigration.Assistant Interior Secretary Geronimo Gutierrez says militarizing the border doesn't seem to be a "very intelligent way" to handle the problem.Gutierrez says Mexico emphatically rejects the suggestion because the way to handle border security concerns today is through cooperation, confidence and technology.

President Vicente Fox on Sunday defended his commitment to minorities and human rights on a U.S. radio program, in his first public response to his controversial comment that Mexicans take the U.S. jobs that "not even" blacks want. U.S. civil rights activist Jesse Jackson pressed the Mexican president for an apology for the remark that has strained already tense relations between U.S. blacks and Hispanics, during an interview on a Chicago gospel station. "I very much regret the misinterpretation," said Fox, touting laws created under his administration that outlaw discrimination and protect minorities. Fox met with Jackson behind closed...

MEXICO CITY (AP) - President Vicente Fox refused to apologize Monday for saying Mexicans in the United States do the work that blacks won't - a comment widely viewed as acceptable in a country where blackface comedy is still considered funny and nicknames often reflect skin color. Fox's spokesman, Ruben Aguilar, said Mexican and foreign news media have misinterpreted the remark as a racial slur. He said the president was speaking in defense of Mexican migrants as they come under attack by the new U.S. immigration measures that include a wall along the U.S.-California border. Stung by the U.S. crackdown...

MEXICO CITY – President Vicente Fox, the champion of Mexican migrants, is taking to the airwaves to convince Americans he isn't racist. An interview on U.S. civil rights activist Jesse Jackson's radio program Sunday will be Fox's first public comments about a firestorm he ignited a week ago by saying Mexicans take the U.S. jobs that "not even" blacks want. The statement roiled already tense relations between U.S. blacks and Hispanics, and angered the U.S. government. Fox spokesman Ruben Aguilar said Friday the president is trying to "move on" by talking publicly with Jackson about ways to bring the communities...

It seems President Fox of Mexico does not like people pointing out why he is a failure. To hide his failure, he decides to not only insult Americans, but Mexicans as well. Just look at one of Fox's recent comments: "There is no doubt that Mexicans...are doing jobs that not even blacks want to do there in the United States." He said this in a speech broadcast in part on local radio and reported on newspaper web sites (Reuters, Fri. May 13). LibertyPost.org reports the comment this way: "There's no doubt that the Mexican men and women...are doing the work...

Five days after President Vicente Fox provoked a storm of outrage in the United States by saying that Mexican migrants do work that "not even blacks want to do," the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson said in a visit to Mexico on Wednesday that he welcomed the remarks, in a backhand sort of way. "President Fox has opened a door," Jackson said in an interview. "Just like the bus driver who put Rosa Parks off the bus. He opened a door for us to talk about the system of denial." By that Jackson seemed to mean that Fox's statement, which he...

MEXICO CITY, May 18 - Five days after President Vicente Fox provoked a storm of outrage in the United States by saying that Mexican migrants do work that "not even blacks want to do," the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson said in a visit to Mexico on Wednesday that he welcomed the remarks, in a backhand sort of way. Perhaps the greatest denial has been here in Mexico, where there is usually very little public examination of race, much less racism. Here, too, Mr. Fox seems to have opened a door, and this week the country seems engrossed by it. Mexicans...

MEXICO CITY -- President Vicente Fox tried to smooth relations with the U.S. black community Wednesday after saying Mexican immigrants take jobs that "not even" blacks want, promising to work with the Rev. Jesse Jackson to improve labor rights for minorities in the United States. The meeting between Fox and Jackson at the presidential residence was a sharp contrast from a few days ago, when Jackson called on the Mexican president to issue a public apology. Fox met with Jackson for more than an hour, but didn't participate in a news conference immediately following the talks because he had to...

MEXICO CITY (AP) - President Vicente Fox tried to smooth relations with the U.S. black community Wednesday after saying Mexican immigrants take jobs that "not even" blacks want, promising to work with the Rev. Jesse Jackson to improve labor rights for minorities in the United States. The meeting between Fox and Jackson at the presidential residence was a sharp contrast from a few days ago, when Jackson called on the Mexican president to issue a public apology. Some 25 million people of Mexican heritage live in the United States. Fox met with Jackson for more than an hour, but didn't...

Los Angeles- Mexican President Vicente Fox issued a statement yesterday saying that he “regrets” insulting Blacks by saying Mexicans in the United States do the jobs that “even Blacks” won’t do. Facing international criticism, Fox invited Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton to Mexico to discuss ways to improve the strained relationship between Blacks and Hispanics. Fox is scheduled to meet with Jackson today in Mexico City. Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, founder and president of BOND, the Brotherhood Organization of A New Destiny, released the following statement urging Fox to withdraw his invitation to meet with the discredited civil...

MEXICO CITY - President Vicente Fox's office on Tuesday insisted his comments that Mexicans work jobs blacks don't want in the United States were misinterpreted, a day after he told leaders in the U.S. black community that he regretted "any hurt feelings." In a speech Friday, Fox praised the dedication of Mexicans working in the United States, saying they're willing to take jobs that "even blacks" won't do. On Monday, he spoke with the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton by telephone and told them: "I regret any hurt feelings caused by my statements." The president maintains his comments were...

Take a moment to consider all of the pressing issues facing America today. There is a war we are waging, and rightfully so, to rid the threat of Islamo-Fascist terror. That might rightfully, be placed right at the very top of our national concerns. After all tax-cuts, spending, education, and Social Security reform will take a back seat very quickly if terrorists were to strike here in America. So let us agree, for the purpose of this column, to assume the war on terror is the pre-eminent issue facing America. Now let us examine how the Bush administration has handled...

Mexican President Vicente Fox’s tactless rerarks about African-Americans should focus the spotlight on the issue of immigration, but not the way Mr. Fox intended. Instead of whining about the United States’ enforcement of immigration laws, he should look at his own side of the border. He should be asking why so many of his fellow countrymen are so desperate to flee Mexico. About 300 Mexicans die every year trying to cross the border illegally. Yet no Americans are so desperate to enter Mexico as to put their lives in jeopardy. Perhaps Mr. Fox should focus his energies on improving opportunities...

UN panel sees grave women's rights abuse in Mexico 27 Jan 2005 20:04:47 GMT Source: Reuters (Adds background, detail, paragraphs 4-14) By Irwin Arieff UNITED NATIONS, Jan 26 (Reuters) - A U.N. panel accused Mexico on Thursday of "grave and systematic" rights violations for failing to solve the killings of hundreds of women in the past decade near the Mexico-U.S. border. The U.N. Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women said it was "greatly concerned at the fact that these serious and systematic violations of women's rights have continued for over 10 years." The panel, in...

MEXICO CITY (AP) - President Vicente Fox reversed course Monday night and apologized for saying that Mexicans in the United States do the work that blacks won't. Fox repeatedly refused to back away from his Friday comment, saying his remark had been misinterpreted. But later, in telephone conversations with the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton the president said he "regretted" the statement.

President Vicente Fox reversed course Monday night and apologized for saying that Mexicans in the United States do the work that blacks won't. Fox repeatedly refused to back away from his Friday comment, saying his remark had been misinterpreted. But later, in telephone conversations with the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton the president said he "regretted" the statement. "The president regretted any hurt feelings his statements may have caused," the Foreign Relations Department said in a press statement. "He expressed the great respect he and his administration has for the African-American community in the United States." State...

NEW YORK (AP) _ The Rev. Al Sharpton called Monday for Mexican President Vicente Fox to apologize for saying Mexicans were willing to take jobs "that not even blacks want to do in the United States." Sharpton said if Fox did not intend to offend with his words, then he needed to apologize for them rather than try to explain them. "President Fox should issue an unequivocal apology," Sharpton said, "explaining the offense only adds insult to injury." Mexico's foreign relations secretary, Luis Derbez, has said Fox was not motivated by racism but was emphasizing that "Mexican migrants are making...