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| Caribbean-Latin America | ||||
| Mexico Retaliates for Border Wall Plan | ||||
| 2005-12-20 | ||||
| MEXICO CITY - The Mexican government, angered by a U.S. proposal to extend a wall along the border to keep out migrants, has struck back with radio ads urging Mexican workers to denounce rights violations in the United States. Facing a growing tide of anti-immigrant sentiment north of the border, the Mexican government is also hiring an American public relations firm to improve its image. Mexican President Vicente Fox denounced the U.S. measures, passed by the House of Representatives on Friday, as "shameful" and his foreign secretary, Luis Ernesto Derbez, said Monday the wall was "stupid." It's hard to underestimate the ill-feeling the proposal has generated in Mexico, where editorial pages are dominated by cartoons of Uncle Sam putting up walls bearing anti-Mexican messages. Many Mexicans, especially those who have spent time working in the U.S., feel the proposal is a slap in the face to those who work hard and contribute to the U.S. economy. Fernando Robledo, 42, of the western state of Zacatecas, says the proposals could stem migration and disrupt families by breaking cross- border ties. "When people heard this, it worried everybody, because this will affect everybody in some way, and their families," Robledo said. "They were incredulous. How could they do this, propose something like this?" Robledo, whose son and mother are U.S. citizens, predicted the measure "would unleash conflict within the United States" as small businesses fail for lack of workers. He said many Mexicans felt betrayed by the anti-immigrant sentiment. "We learned to believe in the United States. We have a binational life," he said of Zacatecas, a state that has been sending migrants north for more than a century. "It isn't just a feeling of rejection. It's against what we see as part of our life, our culture, our territory."
The government is scrambling to fight on two fronts. On Monday, it announced it had hired Allyn & Company, a Dallas-based public relations company to help improve Mexico's image and stem the immigration backlash. "If people in the U.S. and Canada had an accurate view of the success of democracy, political stability and economic prosperity in Mexico, it would improve their views on specific bilateral issues like immigration and border security," Rob Allyn, president of the PR firm, told The Associated Press Tuesday.
And the government has stepped up its defense of migrants, airing a series of radio spots here aimed at migrants returning home for the holidays. "Had a labor accident in the United State? You have rights ... Call," reads the ad, sponsored by Mexico's Foreign Relations Department, which has helped migrants bring compensation suits in the United States. The sense of dread connected with the measures is hardly restricted to Mexico. Immigrant advocacy and aid groups in the United States are worried about provisions of the House bill that upgrade unlawful presence in the United States from a civil offense to a felony. "This is a sad foreshadowing," said immigrants rights activist Kathryn Rodriguez of the Derechos Humanos coalition in Tucson, Ariz. She fears the bill could expose those who help sick or dying migrants to criminal prosecution.
Mexicans are outraged by the proposed measures, especially the extension of the border wall, which many liken to the Berlin Wall. Some are urging their government to fight it fiercely. "Our president should oppose that wall and make them stop it, at all costs," said Martin Vazquez, 26, at the Mexico City airport as he returned from his job as a hotel worker in Las Vegas. "More than just insulting, it's terrible." | ||||
| Posted by:Steve |
| #20 Right on, #17. As an Arizona resident I see this endless stream of illegals sucking up benefits, committing too many felonies, refusing to aculturate, not learning English, driving uninsured cars and trucks, and dragging all their kin along with them. We MUST enforce the law, and stem this tide or risk cultural destruction of the one bastion of liberty on earth. It's that simple. There are good people who would willingly contibute to our society given the chance, but the floodgates must close. |
| Posted by: Old Marine 2005-12-20 23:59 |
| #19 JAB, while I agree with alot of your thoughts, I don't agree with the statement; "The fact is we need immigrant labor for jobs Americans won't do" The guy working at the hotel in Vegas? That's a job an American wouldn't want? There are alot of jobs that I see illegals as scabs, lowering the rate of pay in many classifications. Taking this thought a step further; after they are here doing the job that Americans wouldn't do, what about their kids a generation later? They won't want to do that work? I feel we are setting a terrible precident by allowing our youth to feel this work is beneath them to do. I was a migrant worker as a kid, it taught me alot of things about hard work. It encouraged me to go to college to get a better job. |
| Posted by: Jan 2005-12-20 23:16 |
| #18 Why doesn't Fox just make Mexico an honest place for his people to live work and build a nation? It's not that hard! |
| Posted by: 3dc 2005-12-20 23:05 |
| #17 The fact is we need immigrant labor for jobs Americans won't do. However, the Mexican government is demonstrating yet again that it is so corrupt and incompetent that it squanders the benefits of natural resources and a hard working workforce to the point that it's most ambitious people are willing to risk death in the desert to dig ditches in the US. There are a couple of things going on here. Firstly, the Mexican government (like the Venezuelen, Nork, Iranian, etc) loves to blame our policies for its own failings. Secondly, there is a school of thought in Mexico that the border areas are still in some way Mexican territory even though they were won by or sold to Americans (and Texans) a long time ago. My concern is not that hard working Mexicans want to come here like my Italian forebears did. It is that, given the proximity of Mexico, they will bring their disgracefully corrupt political culture with them. I'm no expert on the policy details but here is my plan: 1. Enforce the law. Deport illegals. It's a national security issue as well as a necessity for civil order. 2. Increase options for legal entry including some sort of guest worker program where in these people pay taxes for the services they consume. 3. Make english the official language for everything the government does. It helps assimilate immigrants to American culture and gets them away from the political culture than makes Mexico such a dump. Reasonable people may differ. |
| Posted by: JAB 2005-12-20 22:35 |
| #16 Meanwhile they fail to notice the new stationing plan has the 1st Armor Division moving to Ft. Bliss/El Paso. |
| Posted by: Slinesing Uninemble3662 2005-12-20 22:21 |
| #15 Thank God we're finally taking a stand. "as he returned from his job as a hotel worker in Las Vegas". ah yes, another job that Americans don't want.... "Had a labor accident in the United State? You have rights ... Call," this angers me to no end. Get the fence up faster faster faster they have too many rights as illegals! "..those who work hard and contribute to the U.S. economy". what? where are they? All I see are illegals that drain our society with services, health care and the like. "a wall along the border to keep out migrants" you mean to keep out illegals. "He said many Mexicans felt betrayed by the anti-immigrant sentiment" you keep interchanging the word immigrant instead of using the correct term of illegal! "..provisions of the House bill that upgrade unlawful presence in the United States from a civil offense to a felony." about time! |
| Posted by: Jan 2005-12-20 21:23 |
| #14 ..the Mexican government is also hiring an American public relations firm to improve its image. Unless that PR firm itself can manage to pull off securing the entire border, the Mexicans shouldn't even bother. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-12-20 20:34 |
| #13 "It isn't just a feeling of rejection. It's against what we see as part of our life, our culture, our territory." Y'all dont recall that a month or so ago Presidente Fox ruffled a few feathers proclaiming that all these teritories (Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, California) were "His" territories. Seems he really believes that the Mexican war was decided in his favor, not ours. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2005-12-20 20:13 |
| #12 "More than just insulting, it's terrible." Then that would make it terribly insulting. Well guess what taco breath, there's a heck of a bunch of us'ens up here that are "insulted" that our tax dollars are delivering your babies, running your free hospital emergency rooms, free edumacation for your 3.7 kids per family, and taking care of your elderly that can't seem to make it back down south. Yep, nothing personal mind ya, but we are insulted too. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2005-12-20 19:33 |
| #11 Mexico Retaliates for Border Wall Plan I'm Pissed! /and browned off too. |
| Posted by: Joe Average 2005-12-20 19:13 |
| #10 heh heh - just like Mexican Government elites to demand that we accept their illegals and to claim rights violations in the same breath they hire a PR firm....idiots |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-12-20 18:36 |
| #9 "If people in the U.S. and Canada had an accurate view of the success of democracy, political stability and economic prosperity in Mexico, it would improve their views on specific bilateral issues like immigration and border security," If it's such a success, why are so many people desperate to leave? |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-12-20 18:10 |
| #8 "It's hard to underestimate the ill-feeling the proposal has generated in Mexico" It's hard to underestimate the ill-feeling most Americans have about people who break the law. What part of illegal don't the Mexicans and their fellow-travelers the LLL understand? "If people in the U.S. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! We do. As in no success at all. We need to build the fence faster. By the way, Rob, is it hard to get in the car with a 3-foot-long nose? ""Our president should oppose that wall and make them stop it, at all costs," said Martin Vazquez, 26, at the Mexico City airport as he returned from his job as a hotel worker in Las Vegas." How exactly do you think Mexico can "make us stop" anything, Martin? By the way, is that job in Vegas legal? If it is, no prob. If not,..... Buh-bye. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-12-20 18:00 |
| #7 You have a right to illegally enter the Uninted States? I think not, genius. |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-12-20 17:35 |
| #6 I think Mexico has worn out their welcome and don't realize the simmering resentment in the Midwest. If anything happens because terrorists crossed the border, vigilantes will rise up. I've heard normally well-mannered University of Nebraska students yell derogatory comments at illegals working for the street department outside the stadium and locals boycott apartments that used low wage laborers for construction, replacing local businesses who can't compete in the bidding process. There is a lot of anti-immigrant sentiment, and not just in the border states. |
| Posted by: Danielle 2005-12-20 17:31 |
| #5 I wonder what Allyn & Co.'s other clients think of the firm's new job promoting subversion of US sovereignty? I wonder what the customers of those clients would think? |
| Posted by: Ebboluper Clatle5228 2005-12-20 17:06 |
| #4 Oooo I'm being denounced. That always makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-12-20 16:51 |
| #3 They sound pissed off. Good. Means some of this stuff might actually work. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-12-20 16:48 |
| #2 Absolutely agree, D. It's great to have stupid enemies who only talk to each other in circle-jerks. The utterly stupefied surprise when Joe Avg finally speaks, such as at the polls, and they realize it's not going to go their way, is rather precious, lol. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-12-20 16:45 |
| #1 Mexico has also said it is recruiting U.S. church, community and business groups to oppose the proposal. Perhaps I'm a little off here, but I think Mexico is unwittingly aiding the pro-border control faction by keeping the pot boiling. It seems that apathy is the most powerful weapon the illegal immigration lobby has on its side. This Mexican agitation will keep the issue alive and well in the media. |
| Posted by: Dreadnought 2005-12-20 16:38 |