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Posted on Thu, Nov. 10, 2005
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Garza says Bush administration opposes wall along border

IOAN GRILLO

Associated Press

MEXICO CITY - U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza said Thursday that the Bush administration is against proposals to build a wall along the United States' entire southern border.

"The president is aware of the concerns of critics who would like to build a wall around the United States," Garza told a small group of foreign correspondents. "As the former governor of Texas, he knows that such proposals are both unrealistic and undesirable."

Some lawmakers have proposed building a wall from California to the Gulf of Mexico to stop the millions of undocumented workers who sneak over the border with Mexico.

Garza said that the best way to regulate immigration is to approve President Bush's proposals for a guest worker program.

He said building a wall also would not help the United States' relations with its Latin American neighbors, relations that appeared frayed in last week's summit of the Americas.

"Looking at the big picture, I believe we should, rather than retrenching into the isolationism that tempts some, build upon our relationships," he said.

Last week, at the fourth summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata, Argentina, thousands of protesters marched against Bush. Furthermore, Latin American governments wouldn't agree on restarting talks on the U.S.-proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas.

Improving cooperation with Latin America would be the United States' best guarantee of security, Garza said.

"We share the obvious need to fight terrorism," he said.

Garza said that the benefits of free trade needed to be conveyed more clearly to the millions of Latin Americans who live in poverty.

"Populist slogans will not bring wealth and employment to the Western Hemisphere; free trade will," Garza said. "Those who claim that free trade is some ideological weapon forced upon them by President Bush are simply not credible."