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Mexico concerned about U.S. bid to beef up border security
U.S. Border Patrol surveys the border fence near rancher John Ladd's property adjacent to the Arizona-Mexico border near Naco, Arizona, March 29, 2013.
Credit: Reuters/Samantha Sais
MEXICO CITY |
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The Mexican government on Tuesday voiced concern about U.S. congressional proposals to beef up security along the U.S.-Mexico border, saying it was divisive and would not solve the problem of illegal immigration.
Immigration plays a significant part in the countries' bilateral relations. Millions of Mexicans live and work on the U.S. side of the border and tens try to enter the United States annually, often at peril to their lives.
"Our country has let the United States government know that measures which affect links between communities depart from the principles of shared responsibility and good neighborliness," Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Meade said in a televised statement.
"We're convinced that fences do not unite, fences are not the solution to the migration phenomenon and are not in line with a modern, safe border."
On Monday, a border security amendment seen as crucial to the fate of an immigration bill backed by President Barack Obama cleared a key procedural hurdle in the U.S. Senate, helping pave the way for the biggest changes to U.S. immigration law since 1986.
The amendment would double the number of agents on the southern border to about 40,000 over the next 10 years and provide more high-tech surveillance equipment to stop illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. The amendment also calls for finishing construction of 700 miles of border fence.
The bill would also grant legal status to millions of undocumented foreigners, who would be put on a 13-year path to citizenship.
(Reporting by Rodolfo Pena and Liz Diaz; Writing by Simon Gardner; Editing by Stacey Joyce)
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Is there a problem here? Illegals must be stopped at the border.
Don’t come here if you have a problem with our laws; stay home.
Responsibility means building a decent country out of your present drug cartel controlled cesspool. Being “good neighbors” means not allowing all of your neighboring countries to YOUR south to use your territory as a freeway into the U.S. for their fugitives and drugs.
“”We’re convinced that fences do not unite, fences are not the solution to the migration phenomenon and are not in line with a modern, safe border.” And WE’RE convinced that fences are an appropriate separation between societies that have little in common and should NOT “unite”.
You people are like permissive parents, whose teenager would steal and wreck our car should we leave the keys in it, and then sue us for OUR failure to lock it. Sorry. Teach your people some manners AND TO STAY HOME!
That “…immigration bill backed by President Barack Obama…in the U.S. Senate…” will NOT “…grant legal status to millions of undocumented foreigners, who would be put on a 13-year path to citizenship.” It will grant AMNESTY to between 11 and 20 million illegal aliens who have violated our laws and our border in coming here that, if allowed to stay, will bankrupt our great nation. Better they GO HOME and build a “better place for their dreams” THERE!
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