January 19, 2008

Memo From Mexico, By Allan Wall
Mexico’s New Meddling Plan: "Zero Tolerance" Legal Assault On American Immigration Patriots

Article 41 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations states that "it is the duty of all persons enjoying such privileges and immunities (diplomats) to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving State." Mexico is a stickler for enforcing the Vienna Convention in its own territory.

But when it comes to Mexican diplomats in the United States, they constantly meddle in U.S. internal politics as it relates to immigration. And our own government allows it.

Mexican historian and journalist Lorenzo Meyer describes the situation thusly:

"Times are changing. In the past, when Mexico's foreign policy was based on a principle of nonintervention, it was a taboo for Mexican leaders to talk about internal affairs of other countries, especially the United States. For Calderon’s government, it’s extremely important that Mexicans are able to continue migrating—it’s the country’s escape valve. There’s no other way Mexico can produce enough jobs for all its working-age residents." [Mexico Rebukes U.S. Candidates On Migrant Issues, TK
That’s certainly the way Mexico’s elite sees it. So they continue to push emigration.

Therefore it’s no surprise that at Mexico’s 19th Annual Conference of Ambassadors and Consuls, held in Mexico City on January 7th and 8th, 2008 and attended by hundreds of Mexican diplomats, that themes of U.S. immigration policy and improved methods of meddling were front and center.

At the opening ceremony the assembled diplomats were greeted by Mexican foreign minister Patricia Espinosa. She gave a speech in which she said that

"…in the face of the current situation, in which an adverse climate prevails for the Mexican communities in the United States, aggravated by the electoral debate in that country, we shall pay particular attention to the problems that confront our migrants."
(Notice that our electoral debate is an "aggravation" to the Mexican foreign minister)

Mexican officials are not pleased that amnesty was defeated in the U.S congress last year, or that states and municipalities are fighting illegal immigration. And they have plans to fight back.

President Calderon showed up at the conference, and as has been his wont as of late, felt the need to rant on the topic. [El Presidente Calderón en el marco de la Reunión de Embajadores y Cónsules de México en el Extranjero, January 7, 2008] Calderon talked about Mexican laborers as being an important part of regional (North American) integration, and quoted a White House report that claimed Mexican labor as the biggest contributor to labor productivity in the U.S. (Well, that’s what you get for listening to the Bush Administration!)

Calderon claimed that Mexican immigrants are assimilating and respect U.S. law. The presidente referred to a Kauffman Foundation report claiming that the "entrepreneurial activity among migrant workers is 40% higher than among the native population of the U.S."

If that’s the case, wouldn’t Calderon prefer those Mexicans were living and starting businesses in Mexico? [Vdare.com note: That's not the case—the Kauffman Foundation's report says specifically that "The majority of these immigrant entrepreneurs came from India, United Kingdom, China, Taiwan, Japan and Germany.â€