Thread: Mexican official comes under fire at binational conference

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Mexican official comes under
fire at binational conference

Louie Gilot
El Paso Times

Mexico's foreign minister spoke to Catholic workers and clergy Friday in El Paso about the hardships encountered by immigrants to the United States.

But his audience called him to task over the abuse by Mexican officers of South American immigrants as they cross Mexico to get to the United States.

Alejandro Siller Gonzalez, of the Mexican-American Cultural Center in the San Antonio Catholic Diocese, told the minister, Luis Derbez, that he has heard "horror stories" of rapes, robberies and beatings from Central and South American immigrants who said they were victimized by government officials in Mexico.

"What can you tell me I can tell them so we can end this impunity?" Siller asked Derbez.

Derbez said he encouraged migrants to report the abuse through government tip lines.

Siller suggested Derbez take a more proactive approach and send investigators to migrant shelters in Mexico to gather leads.

Derbez was a guest speaker on the second day of the Binational Migration Conference organized by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, also spoke Friday. Reyes is one of the sponsors of the immigration bill introduced last month by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. That bill proposes a temporary guest-worker program that would put undocumented immigrants on a path toward U.S. citizenship.

The unprecedented conference aims at organizing a push for immigration reform in the United States. It continues today with a presentation by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who will soon unveil a proposal for a guest-worker program.

In his speech, Derbez acknowledged that Mexico needed to do its share to keep its citizens home.

"The Mexican government has to be able to give Mexicans ... the opportunity to generate the wealth that today they produce in other places. The government of (Mexican) President Vicente Fox agrees with you fully: 'Every person has the right to find in his own country the economic, political and social opportunities that allow him to reach a full and dignified life,' " he said, quoting Fox.

Derbez also lamented the poor image of hard-working, honest immigrants, an image that is being distorted by vigilante groups such as the Minuteman Project in Arizona, he said. "The show of racism and xenophobia of certain individuals against undocumented immigrants, especially on the border with Arizona, and which threatens to expand, is unacceptable," he said.

Louie Gilot may be reached at lgilot@elpasotimes.com; 546-6131.

An image distorted by the MinuteMen? Geeez...I thought the 'image' might have been a tad tarnished by the fact that they break our laws to get here, preach sedition once they're here...rape, rob, murder whomever they wish including law enforcement officers and children...smuggle drugs and humans...have a large criminal element running from the law in Mexico or wherever they came from, ....engage in criminal gang activity...and the list goes on. Doggone those Minute Men persons...they shouldn't have distorted such a wonderful image of such desirable people.

RR

"The Mexican government has to be able to give Mexicans ... the opportunity to generate the wealth that today they produce in other places. The government of (Mexican) President Vicente Fox agrees with you fully: 'Every person has the right to find in his own country the economic, political and social opportunities that allow him to reach a full and dignified life,' " he said, quoting Fox.

Fox is such a moron. Hey Foxie, why aren't your citizens doing what you suggest? Maybe it is because your country is such a dump. Why don't you keep your citizens in your own country?

Derbez also lamented the poor image of hard-working, honest immigrants, an image that is being distorted by vigilante groups such as the Minuteman Project in Arizona, he said. "The show of racism and xenophobia of certain individuals against undocumented immigrants, especially on the border with Arizona, and which threatens to expand, is unacceptable," he said.

Foxie might have more of a clue than Derbez. These "undocumented immigrants" as you call them are actually ILLEGAL ALIENS as defined by our Federal law.
THEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE IN THE UNITED STATES AND WE HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO KEEP THEM OUT. THERE IS NO PROBLEM IF THEY STAY OUT.
Do you grasp this concept?