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| Caribbean-Latin America | |||
| US border fence plan 'shameful' | |||
| 2005-12-19 | |||
Mexican President Vicente Fox has described a US proposal to build a fence along their 3,200km (2,000 miles) border as "shameful". He said the proposal - which Mexican officials have compared to the Berlin Wall - was a "very bad signal" from a nation of immigrants.
Mexico has condemned the proposal saying it is too focused on securing the border and does not acknowledge the "enormous contribution" that Mexican workers make to the US economy.
Speaking at an event for migrants in his home state of Guanajuato, President Fox said: "This wall is shameful." "It's not possible that in the 21st Century we're building walls between two nations that are neighbours, between two nations that are brothers." "When we look at their roots, the immense majority of [Americans] are migrants, migrants that have arrived from all over the world," he added. The US has already built a wall between San Diego and Tijuana, and now plans to fence off other parts of the border in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. President George W Bush has said that "border security must adapt to the nation's changing needs". But critics of the US bill say some of the measures would be impossible to enforce and would push illegal immigrants further underground. | |||
| Posted by:Steve |
| #18 Well, gee, Vincente, instead of building the fence we could just treat Mexicans coming into the US illegally the SAME way Mexico treats illegals trying to sneak across its southern border. Would that work for you? To quote Jackie ChIraq (never thought I'd write those words!), Fox missed a good chance to SHUT UP. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-12-19 21:25 |
| #17 Shameful that it's taking so long, shameful that it isn't along the entire border, and shameful that Fox thinks it's a "very bad signal" that we want to stop ILLEGAL immigration. If I were the Mexicans, I wouldn't be comparing it to the Berlin Wall -- look which side people are fleeing from. |
| Posted by: Darrell 2005-12-19 20:23 |
| #16 "Good Fences make Good Neighbors." Especially for a gang of thieves like Mexico's government. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2005-12-19 19:18 |
| #15 Nobody's said it yet, so I will. "Good Fences make Good Neighbors." |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2005-12-19 18:18 |
| #14 We need to fix Mexico, the root of the problem. Bush should meet with Vicente and ask him what we can do to help. Blast a few drug barons? Freeze a few bank accounts? Anything to help him get a grip on his kleptocracy so he can make the reforms required to bring them out of the poverty Mexico has been mired in for a century despite having hard workers and plentiful mineral wealth. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2005-12-19 18:17 |
| #13 "It's not possible that in the 21st Century we're building walls between two nations that are neighbours, between two nations that are brothers." Go and ask the Israelis just how ashamed they are of their wall. "When we look at their roots, the immense majority of [Americans] are migrants, migrants that have arrived from all over the world," he added. Yup, my own mother came from another country. She worked in the Heinz cannery, attended University, learned fluent English and became a full fledged American citizen. When Mexicans come here with the same intent, instead of scurrying across the border to have their kid in an American hospital on our dime so it will be an automatic American citizen, then we can talk. Most importantly, as mentioned here many times already, when the hyper-corrupt Mexican oligarchy stops drinking the blood of its nation's people and creates genuine career opportunity instead of a black hole for wealth, then they can begin to talk about whatever measures America is taking to defend its economy against economic refugees. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2005-12-19 16:12 |
| #12 another lost opportunity for Mr. Fox to look in the mirror and STFU. Mexico could be a booming country if the kleptocrats and xenophobes allowed it to be. Until that time, we are no longer willing to be their dumping ground. Build the fence, long and tall and in double configuration. The squeals of the selfish in Mexico, who meddle in our internal afairs, tells me it hits the right spot. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-12-19 13:03 |
| #11 Methinks Mr. Fox is mistaken. What Mexico does to those sneaking across its southern border is shameful. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2005-12-19 12:43 |
| #10 "When we look at their roots, the immense majority of [Americans] are migrants, migrants that have arrived from all over the world," he added. That's right, Vincente. And they came in legally. And assimilated. And learned the language. And didn't look for special preferences. And studied. And took all the tests and filled out all the paperwork. And came to regard themselves more as Americans then as citizens of whatever country they came from. I notice you left that part out... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-12-19 12:38 |
| #9 It doesn't make the president of the mexicans sound so much like a little girl as abu Abbas. He might want to reconsider souning less like the paleostinian authority and more like tjue leader of a real country, or people might start to draw conclusions about what style of regime is down there. Given the results of recent elections in Latin America, we are in for a difficult decade down there. |
| Posted by: Floluck Omert9286 2005-12-19 11:31 |
| #8 What's shameful is that we waited this long. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2005-12-19 11:14 |
| #7 "Well, Vinny, we just saw how well the Israeli wall works at keeping out the riff-raff, and we decided to give it a spin...." |
| Posted by: Desert Blondie 2005-12-19 11:01 |
| #6 Mexican President Vicente Fox has described a US proposal to build a fence along their 3,200km (2,000 miles) border as "shameful". BULLSHIT. What's shameful is Mexico's direct meddling in American policy. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-12-19 10:46 |
| #5 Its equally shameful that in the 21st Century the Mexican Constitution is still xenophobic and allows the executive to expel foreigners without appeal or reason. And that it does so regularly to other latins from Central or South America. It is shameful that the absolutely corrupt political system of Mexico is unwilling to build an economy upon great and vast resource to have employment for its own people. It is shameful that the President of Mexico doesn't believe the US has a right to its own sovereign borders but will scream like a little girl* if the American government treated his borders with the same disdain. President Clinton got so upset with the Haitian government dumping on Flordia there were American troops in Port-du-Prince. Maybe.... *My apologies to any little girl who may be offended by a comparison to Presidente Fox. |
| Posted by: Spuque Elminelet9733 2005-12-19 10:27 |
| #4 Just shameful - of course, the production by the Mexican government of manuals explaining how to evade U.S. by sneaking in is just the epitome of good neighborliness |
| Posted by: Chush Cleamble3461 2005-12-19 10:11 |
| #3 A fence is a good psychological tool, but I think the only way to win the war against illegals(from any country) is to make it impossible for them to get work. Thats what they are coming for, work. The bill that passed the congress was a good way to get the ball rolling, now they just need to tighten up the loopholes. I'm telling you guys, if the word gets out in mexico that you can't get work in the U.S. without legitimate papers, they will quite coming. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2005-12-19 09:56 |
| #2 The US must be doing something right when building a wall to keep people OUT is viewed as a catastrophe as great as the Berlin Wall. Of course, the comparison is utterly ludicrous...but it certainly gives the US a nice bargaining position. |
| Posted by: mjh 2005-12-19 09:50 |
| #1 Yep, "shameful".... but highly effective. Sure is a shame Fox can't keep his folks at home. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2005-12-19 09:47 |