Thread: Mexican president speaks up on immigrants in U.S. politics

Mexican president speaks up on immigrants in U.S. politics
Winston-Salem Journal

MEXICO CITY - Mexican President Felipe Calderon took the unusual step yesterday of injecting himself into U.S. presidential politics, calling Mexican illegal immigrants “thematic hostagesâ€

Calderón urges U.S. presidential candidates to not use immigrants as talking points

Mexican president calls on hopefuls not to use immigrants in speeches

12:00 AM CST on Thursday, November 15, 2007

MEXICO CITY – Mexican President Felipe Calderón took the unusual step Wednesday of injecting himself into U.S. presidential politics, calling Mexican migrants "thematic hostages" of the race and urging candidates not to use them as a talking point.

Speaking at a conference here, Mr. Calderón criticized what he called "the growing harassment" of Mexicans in the United States and said his administration will finance a media campaign to underline immigrant success stories.

He made his remarks one day before his environment minister, Rafael Elvira Quesada, is scheduled to release a report concluding that a U.S.-Mexico border wall is damaging the environment.

Mr. Calderón's statement on the U.S. presidential race caught many people here by surprise. Addressing delegates at a conference sponsored by the Mexican government agency that assists migrants, he said: "It is my duty to make a respectful but firm call to the candidates of the various political parties in the United States for them to stop using Mexicans in that country as thematic hostages of their speeches and their strategies."

He has frequently criticized U.S. immigration policy, as do many Mexicans. But it is unusual for a Mexican president to make such a direct comment about U.S. presidential campaign strategies.

Immigration has emerged as a hot-button issue in the 2008 presidential contest, consistently ranking high on the list of voter concerns and figuring prominently in debates. Immigration also tops a list of issues that voters in the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses want candidates to address, according to a CBS-New York Times poll released Tuesday. And 44 percent of caucus-goers want illegal immigrants to lose their jobs and leave the country, the poll said.

A poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press released two weeks ago found that 65 percent of Republican voters and 50 percent of Democratic voters ranked illegal immigration as a "very important" issue.

Republican candidate Fred Thompson has proposed taking federal grant money from so-called sanctuary cities in the United States that do not report illegal immigrants to the federal government. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., has run television ads saying migrants cross the border "to take our jobs."

Given the national focus on immigration, it is very unlikely that candidates would heed Mr. Calderón's call, said Michael Dimock, associate director of the Pew Research Center.

"Good luck," Mr. Dimock said of Mr. Calderón's plea. "It's a potentially powerful voting issue for a significant segment of the electorate."
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 9b571.html

Mexican President Felipe Calderón took the unusual step Wednesday of injecting himself into U.S. presidential politics.

This is unusual, How? Fox and Calderón have been meddling in OUR immigration issues for years! Oh, is it a new thing to do during a presidential election process? Have they usually avoided 'meddling' in the year prior to a presidential election?

Mexican president decries 'growing harassment' of migrants in US, vows to fund media campaign
The Associated PressPublished: November 14, 2007

MEXICO CITY: President Felipe Calderon decried Wednesday what he called "the growing harassment" of Mexicans in the United States and said his government will work to counter it by funding a media campaign to show migrant success stories.

Mexican officials have expressed concern over a recent wave of immigration raids and a U.S. political climate perceived as anti-migrant. Calderon said U.S. presidential candidates were using migrants as "symbolic hostages" on the immigration issue.

"I am especially worried about the growing harassment and frank persecution of Mexicans in the United States in recent days," Calderon said at a meeting of the Mexican government's migrant assistance agency.

He called on leading U.S. presidential candidates to "stop holding Mexicans in their country as symbolic hostages in their speeches and (campaign) strategies." He was apparently referring to the hard line some candidates have taken on the immigration issue, and other candidates' unwillingness to take a clear stance in the debate.

To bolster the image of migrants in the U.S., the Mexican government will launch "direct media campaigns aimed at showing migrant success stories and raise awareness of the many contributions" migrants make to U.S. society, he said.

Calderon noted 6 million of the 11 million Mexican migrants in the United States are undocumented, and endorsed the creation of what he called the League Against Discrimination Against Mexicans in the United States.

Pablo Alonso Flores, a member of advisory council of the Institute of Mexicans Abroad, described the new anti-discrimination league as a group "run by Mexican-Americans, aimed mainly at defending our rights peacefully and respectfully, while not allowing media attacks on the integrity, roots and customs of Mexicans."

Calderon also endorsed a project to expand shelters for deported migrants in Mexican border cities.

Several recent high-profile immigration enforcement raids, and political setbacks like Wednesday's decision by New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer to abandon a plan to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, appeared to place the immigrant representatives at the Mexico City meeting in a grim mood.

"We currently face an anti-immigrant wave that is reflected in political, social and legal spheres and that make the everyday life of Mexican migrants much harder," said Luz Robles, another member of Institute of Mexicans Abroad's advisory council.

Also Wednesday, Mexico City officials announced a program to offer city residents living in the United States low fees for sending money home.

As part of the program, the estimated 600,000 Mexico City migrants will also receive free life insurance policies. If they die, the policy will enable their relatives in Mexico to repatriate their remains free of charge.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/ ... rssap_news

Calderon needs to worry about his own country. What pisses me off is that no one in our government speaks up about the inappropriateness of a foreign leader interjecting himself in American politics.

Someone needs to tell Calderon that the reason illegal immigrants are a talking point in our presidental race is because the American citizens are tired of footing the bill for HIS poor.

He also needs to know that his pathetic attempt to convince us of the positive influences of ILLEGAL ALIENS in our country is a waste of time. Americans have woken up to what's going on and we aren't going to take it anymore. His money would be better spent convincing his people to stay in THEIR country.

"vows to fund media campaign"


Why don't he use those funds for bring them back to Mexico, and get them jobs?

O! I forgot, it’s the American Dollar being sent back to Mexico that he plans on using against us! And if they come home, he won’t have the US dollar to attack us with.

This guy is a trip. He needs to be told to mind his own business and stop sticking his nose where it don't belong. And I certainly am going to vote for a president I can count on to tell him so!

To bolster the image of migrants in the U.S., the Mexican government will launch "direct media campaigns aimed at showing migrant success stories and raise awareness of the many contributions" migrants make to U.S. society, he said.

Other than the CRIME RATE AND UNWANTED BABIES what contributions is this fool talking about?

Calderon noted 6 million of the 11 million Mexican migrants in the United States are undocumented, and endorsed the creation of what he called the League Against Discrimination Against Mexicans in the United States.

Pablo Alonso Flores, a member of advisory council of the Institute of Mexicans Abroad, described the new anti-discrimination league as a group "run by Mexican-Americans, aimed mainly at defending our rights peacefully and respectfully, while not allowing media attacks on the integrity, roots and customs of Mexicans."

Migrants? These are illegal aliens and its more like 30 MILLION. Their delusions of grandier and slickness knows no bounds. I don't know whose worsE, Calderon or Fox . . . probably a tie.

Calderon also endorsed a project to expand shelters for deported migrants in Mexican border cities.

Wait, this is a cesspool where people live in cardboard boxes and shanty's in Messyhole but he's going to build SHELTERS FOR THEM IN MY COUNTRY?

We have no government to speak up for us here in the
USA. They only represent the big business owners and bankers.
At no time in history have I seen such a lack of our own government
to speak up against this kind of backlash from another country.
What right do they have to even be in this country making
these assertions.

I am so very sick of all this mess....so sick of it. We HAVE NO
LEADERS....NONE. Just ONE PERSON IN OUR GOVERNMENT TO
STAND UP AND SAY, "MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS".

Let Calderon continue to spout his nonsensical rhetoric. The more this hypocritical idiot speaks, the more Americans will wake up and say NO AMNESTY IN ANY FORM & force the corrupt Mexican government to finally reform!! But I agree with Cthelight; we need more of our "leaders" to tell Calderon to shut up. And of course, Wolf Blitzer will probably not mention anything about this in tonight's Dem debate.