Thread: Calderon talks drug trafficking, immigration with Congress

Posted 5/20/2010
USA Today
Calderon talks drug trafficking, immigration with Congress
By Carolyn Pesce, USA TODAY

Mexican President Felipe Calderon, in the first address to Congress by a foreign national leader this year, said the fight against drug trafficking along the border can only succeed if the United States reduces its demand for illegal drugs and stops the flow of assault weapons across the border.

Calderon also strongly denounced Arizona's new immigration law saying it "ignores reality" and uses racial profiling. "The new law carries a great amount of grief," the president told Congress.

"We must find together a better way to face and fix this coming problem," he said.

The controversial law, set to take effect on July 28, 2010, among other things requires state and local law officers to check the immigration status of individuals they encounter. It also makes it a state crime to be without proper immigration documentation.

President Obama formally welcomed Calderon to the White House Wednesday morning for a state visit. He and first lady Michelle Obama held a state dinner Wednesday night for Calderón and his wife, Margarita Zavala, and 200 other guests.

In his speech to Congress, Calderon stressed the two countries must cooperate to improve security along the often-violent border and control the flow of immigrants into the United States.

"The time has come for the United States and Mexico to work together on this issue," he said.

The Mexican leader found an ally at the White House Wednesday, where President Obama is pressing lawmakers to take up legislation that would deal with security, employment and citizenship issues.

Calderon talked about the problems his country was having with organized crime and said "we are hitting them and we are hitting them hard."

He said officials have extradited a "record number of criminals" and "we are doing everything we can to fight this threat."

Calderon pointed out that more than 80% of the 75,000 guns and assault weapons that came across the border in the last three years were a result of the United States lifting the assault weapon ban in 2004.

"Today these weapons are aimed by the criminals not only at rival gangs but also at Mexican civilians and authorities," he said, adding that there are "more than 7,000 gun shops along the border with Mexico where anyone can purchase powerful weapons."

Calderon talked about Mexico's transformation on the economic, development and humanitarian fronts and how that is important to relations with the U.S.

"Our relationship is about much more than just security," he said. "Mexico and the United States are stronger together than they are apart."

Contributing: Associated Press

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington ... ress_N.htm

Don't the Capitol Building janitors have any spray cans of RAID?