http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/ ... 881352.htm

Posted on Wed, Feb. 15, 2006


Latin American leaders seek better U.S. treatment of migrants

BY PABLO BACHELET
Knight Ridder Newspapers

WASHINGTON - Eleven Latin American nations, alarmed at what they perceive as growing anti-immigration sentiment in the United States, have started to lobby Washington for better treatment of their migrants.

"We want to create more understanding of the importance of immigrants to this country," Colombian Foreign Minister Carolina Barco said Wednesday.

The initiative was launched Monday in a meeting of foreign ministers and other senior officials in Cartagena, Colombia. A delegation of foreign ministers from Colombia, Mexico, Panama and El Salvador later flew to Washington, where on Tuesday they dined with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

The four countries are among the closest allies of the Bush administration in Latin America. The other nations in the group are Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. Together, migrants from those nations living in the United States send $32 billion in remittances to relatives back home.

The initiative reflects the increased nervousness in Latin America over the sharpening immigration debate in the United States. Mexicans have been infuriated by a House proposal to build a wall along part of the U.S.-Mexico border and other proposals that would make it harder for U.S. companies to hire illegal immigrants.

President Bush wants Congress to institute a new temporary-worker program that would allow migrants to work legally in the United States for six years. Although this provides a way for about 11 million illegal migrants in the country to obtain a legal status, it falls short of offering those in the country a green card.

Mexico has repeatedly argued that immigration reform would fail to bring immigration under control if it does not provide those already here with a path toward permanent residence.