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 News from Around the Americas | December 2006 
Richardson Speaks Against Border Fence
 Jennifer Talhelm - Associated Press
| | Outgoing Democratic Governors Association (DGA) Chair Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico speaks at a press conference at the DGA meeting Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006, in Washington. Richardson is ending his two terms as DGA chairman, while weighing a bid for the presidency in 2008. (AP/Nick Wass) |
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson says a fence at the Mexican border authorized by Congress this fall "gets in the way" of U.S.-Mexico relations, and he wants the new Democratic Congress to reverse the legislation.
"The fence is very unpopular on the border in Texas and New Mexico, in Chihuahua," Richardson, a Democrat, said after meeting Wednesday with leaders from the Mexican state of Chihuahua. "So one of the most significant and constructive acts the U.S. Congress should take is to get rid of it."
Richardson said he will call on Congress not to build the fence during an address Thursday. He also will press lawmakers to approve a bill that secures the border and provides a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. While Congress and President Bush approved the 700-mile border fence, a widely debated bill overhauling immigration policy died in Congress this year.
Both statements ratchet up Richardson's national profile as he weighs whether he will run for president.
Technically, Richardson is in Washington this week for a Democratic governors' meeting. But his schedule also is packed with events that highlight his background as a former congressman, ambassador to the United Nations and energy secretary.
Wednesday, he met with Chihuahua officials at an event billed as a model for how the U.S. and Mexico should work together. Thursday, he will give the immigration speech at Georgetown University, and Friday, he will talk about energy independence.
Richardson is coy about his potential presidential plans, saying he will make a decision before the New Mexico legislature convenes Jan. 17. Other possible candidates are already formally exploring whether to run.
OAS Names New Mexico Governor as Migration Envoy
AFP
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, a former UN ambassador, was named as the Organization of American States' special envoy on migration in an effort to improve US-Latin American dialogue.
The appointment came amid heated debate in the United States over illegal immigration, as US lawmakers consider proposals to deal with the 11.5 million undocumented workers, mostly Latin Americans, living in America.
"The migration issue is key to improving relations (between Latin America and the United States," Richardson, 59, said at a news conference alongside OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza.
"Dialogue and democracy are very important and I hope to help the secretary general with advice and trips to countries to improve dialogue," he said in Spanish.
Richardson said he was ready to visit leaders who have been critical of the United States in hopes of improving relations.
"I know president (elect of Nicaragua Daniel) Ortega, I know (Venezuelan) President (Hugo) Chavez, and I will go to any country," said Richardson, whose mother is Mexican.
Richardson, whose state borders Mexico, rejected plans backed by President George W. Bush to build a huge fence along the US-Mexico border to stop the flow of illegal immigration.
Instead, he called for comprehensive reform to regularize undocumented workers.
"Two things must take place. One, a plan to legalize the 12 million (illegal) immigrants in the United States, and I think that it is important to improve border security," he said, pointing to the need for increased patrols and more cooperation with Mexico.
Richardson was a UN ambassador and energy secretary under former president Bill Clinton. The Democrat has not ruled out running for his party's nomination in the 2008 presidential election. |
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