Thread: Cooperation, not civilian patrols, the best way to solve bor

www.mercurynews.com

Posted on Sun, Sep. 18, 2005



Cooperation, not civilian patrols, the best way to solve border woes

By Bruno Figueroa


Mexico acknowledges that it is a sovereign faculty of any state to protect its borders and to enforce its migratory legislation. As recognized by national and international law, we are convinced that this task should be addressed exclusively by the proper authorities.

That is precisely why the government of Mexico has condemned the activities of civilians guarding the border and stopping undocumented migrants from entering the United States.

While the United States government has already warned that it will act against civilians participating in the arrest of other individuals, armed militias, who proclaim that their mission is to ``spot and report'' immigrants, have brought tension along the border, and may even trigger violence. In our view, actions of this kind do not contribute to a long-term solution to the immigration issue and could even endanger the security of our common border.

Serious concern

Border security is a very serious concern for the Mexican government. Drug smugglers and human traffickers abuse honest people whose only desire is to find jobs across the border. Moreover, laundered money and powerful weapons also flow illegally from north to south, hence hampering law enforcement efforts in Mexico.

The Mexican government has emphasized that the only way to address the economic, social and security issues on our border is to frame all efforts on the basis of shared responsibility. This explains why, during the past few years, cooperation between Mexico and the United States has been actively and successfully pursued. Presidents Vicente Fox and George W. Bush have agreed on the principle of shared responsibility and declared that migration between our two countries should be safe, orderly, legal and respectful of human rights.

Today, Mexico and the United States share an unprecedented level of cooperation on security issues, based on information sharing agreements, frequent joint undertakings and fluent intergovernmental communication. The launching of ``OASISS'' (Operation Against Smugglers Initiative on Safety and Security) a month ago is the most recent example of that bilateral approach. This program also includes campaigns in Mexico alerting would-be migrants about the dangers of crossing into the United States by land, and training of migrant rescue crews on both sides of the border.

Other excellent examples of this level of cooperation are the Border Alliance set in motion by Mexico and the United States in 2002, aimed at the creation of a modern and smart border, and the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP), launched last March by Fox, Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin.

This program sets an encompassing path for cooperation on economic and security issues. The SPP entails an achievable set of goals addressing security against external threats in North America, security of movements, and the prevention and response to threats stemming from within the region, such as terrorism, organized crime and human smuggling.

The SPP rests on the acknowledgment that security and competitiveness in the region are intertwined.

Close neighbors

As friendly neighbors and partners in the North American Free Trade Agreement, we see our ties growing stronger year after year. Twenty years ago, on Sept. 19, 1985, Mexico City experienced its deadliest earthquake. U.S. aid and assistance arrived immediately and helped to save many lives, and the relief efforts from Silicon Valley residents were substantial. More recently, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Mexico extended a friendly and effective hand.

The Mexican government follows closely the different initiatives in Congress that try to amend present immigration regulations, and believes that any program or initiative should also take into consideration the fate of Mexican immigrants already living in the United States.

Mexico is concerned that patrolling activities not undertaken by the proper authorities, such as the so-called vigilantes, spark emotional responses precisely at a time when dispassionate discourse and broad perspectives are needed. The real debate should be focused on designing new, realistic, longstanding immigration policies.

BRUNO FIGUEROA is consul general of the Mexican Consulate in San Jose. He wrote this article for the Mercury News.

Too late pal. It's only when somebody threatens to do something that those of your ilk get all apologetic and patronizing.

!Viva Los Minutemen!

As friendly neighbors and partners in the North American Free Trade Agreement, we see our ties growing stronger year after year.

If I was President the first thing I'd do is dissolve that piece of crap, move forward with Free Trade Agreements with Canada and Chile and then tell Mexico and Central America to take a lesson from the Chileans.

The only reason why YOU Senor Consular, see the ties growing stronger is because more and more undocumented criminals are crashing your office in San Jose every day and our President doesn't have the wherewithall to stop it.

Very good point, now cooperate, and take your felonious loving self, back, from whence you came. cheers glenn

Boy!! Does THAT leave me in a spitting fury, or what. Such BS...

RR