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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | October 2006 
Mexico Says US Border Fence Will Hurt Relations
 AFP
| | Members of the National Guard talk near a new border fence near San Diego, July 21, 2006. Mexico pleaded with President Bush on Monday to veto a Senate proposal to build a new fence to keep illegal immigrants out, saying it could backfire by making the border more dangerous. (Jorge Duenes/Reuters) |
The Mexican government said that a border security fence that has been approved by the US Congress would "damage" relations between the two countries.
Mexican presidential spokesman Ruben Aguilar also said that the barrier, intended to prevent illegal immigrants entering the United States, would create a "climate of tension" along the frontier.
"The Mexican government expresses its strong rejection of the construction of the wall ... This decision damages the entire bilateral relationship, is contrary to the spirit of cooperation that must prevail to guarantee the security of the frontier," said Aguilar, spokesman for President Vicente Fox.
The decision supports "a climate of tension among the border communities and creates splits instead of a convergence between the two countries," he said.
Speaking at a gala press dinner, President-elect Felipe Calderon, who assumes office December 1, said he believed that "neither decree nor physical barrier" will reduce migration across the border.
The US Congress on Friday approved the construction of a 700-mile (1,125 kilometer) wall along the border, over which tens of thousands of mainly Latin American illegal immigrants pass each year.
The barrier is opposed by advocates of an easier immigration policy but backed by many in the United States who want a crackdown on the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country. |
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