Mexico asking Latin American countries to unite over fight against U.S. immigration bill




ASSOCIATED PRESS

12:37 p.m. December 21, 2005

MEXICO CITY – Mexico is asking Latin American governments to build a united front to fight U.S. plans for a border wall, the foreign secretary said Wednesday.
Foreign Secretary Luis Derbez said during a news conference that Mexico has contacted several governments in the region to ask them to denounce the U.S. measures, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives Friday, to build a 700-mile wall to keep out migrants.

Derbez, who earlier this week called the wall "stupid," said he also plans to travel to Washington on Dec. 29 to discuss the matter with Robert Zoellick, the U.S. State Department's No. 2 official.

During a regional energy summit earlier this month in Cancun, Derbez said Mexico asked the governments of Central America, Colombia and the Dominican Republic to join its fight.

Derbez said he told the leaders "we should have one voice" soundly rejecting the bill.

Mexico also has hired a public relations firm to improve its image in the United States, and officials want to provide information to different sectors north of the border so "it is understood that there are Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Honduran and Brazilian migrants. There are a large amount of people of different nationalities other than Mexican who contribute to this society."

Many Mexicans, especially those who have spent time working in the U.S., feel the proposal is a slap in the face to those who work hard and contribute to the U.S. economy.


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