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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | March 2007 
Calderón Confides His Kin Work in US
 S. Lynne Walker - Copley News Service
| | President Bush and Mexican President Felipe Calderón answered reporters' questions in Merida, Mexico, yesterday. (AFP/Getty Images) |
Merida, Mexico – When President Bush and Mexican President Felipe Calderón talked about the thorny issue of immigration yesterday, the conversation turned deeply personal.
Bush expressed concern about the exploitation and human rights abuses caused by “a system that encourages people to sneak across the border,” while Calderón revealed that members of his family are working north of the border.
Calderón's comments about his family members came during a joint news conference, when a reporter asked if he had relatives working in the United States and whether they were there legally.
“Yes,” Calderón said, “I have family in the United States, and what I can say is that they are people who work and respect the country, people who pay taxes to your government, people who harvest the vegetables you probably eat, people who serve food in restaurants, people who contribute to the prosperity of the United States.”
Calderón said he has not seen those family members for a long time and does not know their legal status. He went on to point out that a third of the population of Michoacan, his home state, is working in the United States.
His revelation underscored Mexico's emotional and economic ties with the United States, where an estimated 12 million Mexicans live.
Calderón said he is “working for the day that investment comes here, where there is labor, instead of labor crossing the border in search of capital.”
He expressed the feelings of many Mexicans when he said “we want them to return one day, we want Mexico to have work for them because we miss them a lot. I hope one day to see them and greet them and embrace them.”
Calderón's revelation, made in an arena usually reserved for political rhetoric, caused a buzz that overshadowed Bush's statement that the United States must find a way to resolve illegal immigration.
Bush acknowledged that the issue is often used to “inflame passions” and said the administration and Congress must search for “middle ground – somewhere in between automatic citizenship and kicking people out of the country.”
“Look, amnesty is not going to fly. There is not going to be automatic citizenship,” he said. “People in the United States don't support that, and neither do I. Nor will kicking people out of the United States work. It's not a realistic situation.”
Bush said any overhaul must address complaints of many Americans that authorities are not pursuing people who cross illegally into the United States, resulting in crimes that threaten border security.
He said it “is a system that leads to human rights abuses. It's a system that promotes 'coyotes' and document forgers.”
“If we have immigration reform, it will make it less likely that somebody will feel like they have to sneak across the border and therefore, take pressure off the border,” Bush said. “Security for the country, border security, will be enhanced by a good migration law. And then it will make it easier for us to focus our assets on drugs, terrorists, criminals and guns moving both ways.”
Bush said he is optimistic that Congress will approve an overhaul of immigration policy, even though many on Capitol Hill doubt a bill will pass before he leaves office.
“The mood in the Congress seems like it has changed, from skepticism last year to knowledge that getting a comprehensive bill will be in the nation's interest,” he said.
During Bush's three-day visit to Mexico, the two presidents discussed issues that included drug trafficking and provisions of the North America Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA.
Bush praised Calderón for his tough stand against drug cartels, which has included sending the military to Tijuana and other cities plagued by drug violence as well as the extradition of key traffickers.
They also discussed strengthening a task force overseeing the process of fully opening Mexico's market to beans and corn in 2008. Faced with increasing opposition from Mexican farmers, Calderón's government wants to roll back the NAFTA deadline.
“Renegotiating NAFTA is a mistake,” Bush said. “You don't want a weaker NAFTA. You want to make sure it stays strong in order that prosperity continues to expand and people benefit on both sides of the border.”
Bush appeared relaxed – perhaps even relieved – at the news conference, his last stop before leaving Mexico for Washington. He visited five Latin American countries in six days, facing sporadic jeers from Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and violent protests along the way.
Bush said he had a “fascinating trip” and even sprinkled some Spanish into his remarks yesterday.
“Glad to be back in Mexico. The hospitality was very generous and the meals were quite good. Estoy lleno (I am full),” he said, drawing laughter.
S. Lynne Walker: slwalker@prodigy.net.mx |
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