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 Business News | October 2006 
Mexico Economy Minister Garcia Says U.S. Needs Immigrant Labor
 Patrick Harrington - Bloomberg
Mexican Economy Minister Sergio Garcia de Alba said a proposed 700-mile (1,125-kilometer) border wall could disrupt trade between the two countries and lead to a shortage of farm laborers in the U.S.
"Any worry should be bilateral," Garcia said during an interview in Mexico City. The U.S. must "recognize that without the complimentary resource of Mexican labor it would have serious problems in areas like agriculture."
Garcia's comments form part of a backlash among Mexican officials against approval by U.S. lawmakers last week of heightened security measures along the border including the fence. Such measures are politically motivated and offer only a short-term solution to stemming immigration, Garcia said.
"During all of the discussions that I have had as economy minister with business leaders in the U.S., all of them are against the decisions of radical politicians," he said.
A lack of job prospects prompts more than 400,000 Mexicans to enter the U.S. each year seeking work both legally and illegally, according to the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington.
"The people who emigrate are often the most entrepreneurial and hard working," Garcia said.
Both Mexico and the U.S. would benefit from investment to make the border more orderly and efficient, which would improve security and facilitate trade, Garcia said.
"The wall is really a bad investment," he said. "But, well, we understand that there are some politicians who have a short-term view and use these kinds of measures as part of a campaign process."
The U.S. House and Senate will hold midterm elections Nov. 7.
To contact the reporter on this story: Patrick Harrington in Mexico City at Pharrington8@bloomberg.net |
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