January 12, 2004

Fox seeks to open U.S. borders

Mexican President Vicente Fox yesterday said he favors open borders across North America, not amnesty for his countrymen illegally residing in the United States.
    
The alien work program announced last week by President Bush would not encourage aliens to remain in the United States, because they love their home country, the Mexican president told the "Fox News Sunday" program.
    
"We are not looking for an amnesty [for] Mexico. It's not that we're looking for these Mexicans working productively in the United States to become U.S. citizens. They like tacos, they like their families, they like their community, they like Mexico. Unfortunately, they don't have the opportunities that they would like to have as persons, so that's why they move," Mr. Fox said.

Mr. Fox said all immigration barriers should be removed to allow people to live and work in the country of their choosing, whether it be Mexico, the United States or Canada.
   
 "On the long term, this North American bloc can be the leading bloc on the world and be the most competitive bloc on the world by working together and, through that, be able to keep increasing the quality and the level of life of our citizens," Mr. Fox said.
    
Mr. Bush heads to northern Mexico today to participate in the Summit of the Americas talks in Monterrey. A key subject will be his proposal allowing millions of Mexicans in this country illegally to remain for three years if they have jobs that citizens don't want.
[...]
Commerce Secretary Donald L. Evans said there will be no guarantees for alien workers in this program.
    
"No guarantee they'll be able to stay permanently, and no guarantee they won't be able to stay permanently," Mr. Evans told CNN's "Late Edition."
    
"And what the president has said is that we've got to get a system in place that only allows legal immigrants to take jobs that may otherwise go to an American. It also will make our borders a lot safer."
[...]
National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said the program will give Mexican workers "dignity."
[...]
The Mexican government also will be expected to do a better job policing its border to protect its citizens, she said.
[...]
Mr. Bush meets today with Mr. Fox, Chilean President Ricardo Lagos and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
    
Tomorrow, Mr. Bush will have his first private meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, and later meet with President Nestor Kirchner of Argentina and Bolivian President Carlos Mesa.

I told you Fox would hate Bush's plan!
Vicente wants the border to be more, not less, open in a wartime, post 9/11 world--can you believe it?!
And he unashamedly doesn't make any kind of comment about or show any intention of fixing the broken Mexican economy, not even for the benefit of a soundbyte to the media to comfort his own electorate!
I hope the contrast with President Bush and the vibrant American economy strikes you as dramatic.
And yet the Liberals scream at the president almost every day because there are 5 Americans "out of work!"
There have often been days when I don't envy President Bush at all and today is one of those days.
It's clear he'll have to turn the Bush Charm Offensive up to "high" for this lazy and indolent pendejo Fox!