Mexican president-elect Felipe Calderon denounced plans by the U.S. government to erect a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, much to the chagrin of the Bush administration. In response, White House spokesman Tony Snow deemed Calderon as having "no authority over U.S. government activities." (Link in Spanish).For the third consecutive summer, the
mexico, united states, immigration
3 comments:
Well, I honestly think that this matter of the repatriation program, the border wall and the immigrants' law, are quite delicate and both sides are suffering in different ways: of course the ilegal people who comes back to their country, lets remember taht they are not necessarily latin american but also asian or european, which have different reasons to leave their countries. The people of the US also deals with this because their taxes pay the airplanes (in case is necessary) or buses to return this people to their original countries, they pay also the days that this people remains in prision (aproximately 7dls. for each prisioner daily), and also this immigrants represent the cheapest salaries for certain companies. So the people who support this should know that certain products that they consume are cheaper because thay are made by immigrants and their taxes will raise in order to increase the programs and such things. Thanks
Three cheers for Calderon -- he's absolutely right on this one (although I guess the question at the moment is not whether he has any authority over US policy, but whether he will ultimately have any authority over policy in Mexico).
Sadly the Bush administration's all too predictable response is symptomatic of their general failings with foreign policy to date -- due to some unexplainable myopia, they see every such policy issue as only a question of the US's unilateral authority rather than as the bi-lateral or multi-lateral problem that exists in reality.
I am still struggling to understand how so many people in the most powerful and successful nation on earth can be so fearful of people from our friendly neighboring country that they feel compelled to build a wall to keep them out.
There is an incredible opportunity here for the United States to exercise real leadership by working with Mexico to address the economic challenges that underlie the immigration imbalance between the two countries. By taking the visionary high road, the US could cement its place as a country to be admired and celebrated throughout the hemisphere. Why throw that opportunity away by shirking our global responsibility and instead criminalizing, deporting and walling our neighbors out in the hopes that their problems will simply go away?
Calderon may have no authority over US policy, but stronger voices echoing his sentiments can hopefully encourage Americans to exercise our influence over US policy lest we squander our leadership role.
Craig Maginness
ExIn Global Strategies
Keep an eye out for Calderon's relationship with Bush if he becomes president. Calderon may be seen lovingly by business interests but he will not be in lockstep with Bush's policy on immigration. Both of them have different visions of "compassionate conservatisim" that may clash in the future.
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