http://www.thedailyjournalonline.com/ar ... ryId=14091

Mexican gov’t praises Bush position on immigration reform
MEXICO CITY (EFE) – The Mexican government described as “very positive” the statement made by U.S. President George W. Bush in calling on Congress to debate immigration “in a civil way” and approve reforms that include a guest-worker program.

Bush’s statement “seemed very positive to us and is in line with the current trend in the United States towards opening an interesting discussion on possible immigration reform,” Fox spokesman Ruben Aguilar said.

At a press conference, he said that immigration will be the “main point” of the meeting of Fox and Bush next Thursday at the Mexican resort of Cancun, just before their tripartite meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

“When we discuss this debate, it must be done in a civil way. It must be done in a way that brings dignity to the process. It must be done in a way that doesn’t pit people against another,” Bush said after meeting Thursday with more than a dozen business, civic and religious leaders.
The Fox administration “is very pleased with what is happening” in the United States and hopes “that at last this (immigration) problem is going to be resolved the right way,” Aguilar said.

Mexico hopes the U.S. Congress will approve a measure that guarantees migration across the border that is “legal, orderly and respectful of human rights” and which leads to “regularizing” the status of undocumented Mexi-cans in the United States.

It is estimated that some 10 million Mexicans live in the United States, half of them illegally.

Aguilar and Mexico’s Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez have said that the immigration debate in Washington “is going well” and have expressed the hope that lawmakers will approve a reform bill “in the way Mexico has proposed.”

Derbez is presently in Wash- ington leading the Mexican delegation which is studying with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other U.S. officials the progress of the “Partnership for Prosperity,” as Bush and Fox have christened the two countries’ bilateral relations.

During their Cancun meeting, Fox and Bush will discuss such issues as immigration, border security, economic development, the environment, and technical and scientific cooperation.

Last month the head of the AFL-CIO, the biggest U.S. labor organization, says President Bush’s proposal for a program of guest workers “will further subjugate immigrants, while undermining wages and labor protections for all.”

Rather than offer a permanent solution to the plight of millions of tax-paying undocumented workers, the labor leader said, Bush “continues to push for an enlarged temporary guest worker program that will further subjugate immigrants, while undermining wages and labor protections for all.”

The AFL-CIO said that the United States needs to create a “real path to legalization” for undocumented workers and to devise a system for coping with needs for foreign labor “that guarantees immigrant workers – and thus all workers – full rights.”

Unsurprisingly, Congress’ most outspoken critic of unauthorized immigration, Rep. Tom Tancredo, quickly condemned Bush’s renewed call for a guest-worker program.

The Colorado Republican said that before contemplating such a plan, the White House should first ensure the enforcement of existing laws on immigration and boosting security at the borders.