Thread: Guatemala slashes U.S. immigration bill

http://english.people.com.cn/200512/30/ ... 31829.html

UPDATED: 11:07, December 30, 2005
Guatemala slashes U.S. immigration bill



Guatemala condemned a U.S. immigration bill as "inhuman" on Thursday, saying Washington treats Latin America as a region of criminals, reports reaching here said.

The bill was "absolutely intolerable and inhuman" as the U.S. industry, trade and families have benefited from Latin American immigration, legal or illegal, Guatemalan Vice President Eduardo Stein told the press in the capital Guatemala City.

"It seems a true offense to all Latin America that a government who says it is a friend and partner of the region only wants our money and products," said Stein.

The United States treats Latin America "as though we were a sub-hemisphere of criminals, " he added.

The vice president said the bill forced Latin America to reconsider its relations with the United States.

Guatemala lodged a protest to the United States last week against the anti-immigration bill and agreed to fight it together with Mexico.

Under the bill, a fencing of 1,200 km will be built along the 3,200-km border between the United States and Mexico. Military technologies will also be used to prevent undocumented immigration.

Illegal immigrants and those who help them, including their family members, will be taken as criminals, the bill said.

Stein said the immigration issue will never be solved with the construction of a fence.

As for the negotiations with Mexico on joint measures against the bill, Stein said the two countries would seek a way to ensure the immigrants' rights.

Guatemalan Foreign Minister Jorge Briz and his Mexican counterpart, Ernesto Derbez, have agreed to meet in Mexico City on Jan. 9 to work out the joint measures against the bill which has been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and is under consideration in the Senate.

"It seems a true offense to all Latin America that a government who says it is a friend and partner of the region only wants our money and products," said Stein.

What products - bananas?

As for wanting their money, I'm under the impression that they get more money from us via remittances from their invading army than we get from them.

Gee another parasite country spitting vile about how we defend our nation. Who the F cares? Maybe when you can become more then just another irrelevant third world country then maybe we'll start caring about what you think. Until then adios.

Seems to me that a nation who has a lesser standard of living than we do always complains about us. They always never can appreciate what it is they have rather than look to us for more. We would be more apt to give it if there was a nation who needed it and never gave us any flack about how we run our country.