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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | January 2005 
Mexico Presses U.S. On Immigration Deal
 Associated Press
 Mexico will continue to press for an immigration agreement establishing a right for Mexicans to work temporarily in the United States, the country's Interior Secretary, Santiago Creel, said Monday after meeting with Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge.
Creel also denounced an Arizona ballot measure - approved by voters in November - that limits government services for illegal immigrants.
"It's incompatible with human rights and does a disservice to both countries, the United States as much as Mexico," he told reporters at a news conference following the meeting in Calexico, a border city about 100 miles east of San Diego.
Ridge, for his part, said an immigration agreement was a "high priority" for President Bush in his second term, but added that a temporary worker program would be an uphill battle in Congress without provisions for stricter enforcement of immigration laws.
He emphasized that the United States would reject any amnesty proposal for Mexicans who are living in the United States illegally or any plan that gives priority to temporary workers when they apply for permanent residency.
Ridge avoided criticizing the Arizona ballot measure, saying that states have a right to deny state but not federal aid.
The measure requires proof of legal immigration status when obtaining certain government services and proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
Government workers who don't report illegal immigrants who try to get benefits could also face jail time and a fine.
Ridge said other states were unlikely to follow Arizona's lead if the United States introduces a program for temporary workers.
"There will probably be far less inclination by any states to vote a similar way again, because the people that will be here will be here legally and they will certainly be in a much better position to support themselves without relying on any public funding," Ridge said.
The meeting was billed as a progress report on a 2002 agreement aimed at beefing up border security without disrupting trade. The two Cabinet secretaries also used the occasion to formally open a new lane for prescreened truckers to avoid long lines when entering the United States or Mexico.
Calexico is the sixth southern U.S. border crossing to introduce the fast track lane for truckers since September. The others are San Diego and the Texas cities of El Paso, Hidalgo, Laredo and Brownsville.
By summer, fast track lanes for truckers are to be introduced in a number of other cities in the Southwest.
Ridge is leaving his job as Homeland Security secretary on Feb. 1. |
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