Thread: Prominent Mexican Politicians Visit Chicago

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/local_story_160193643.html

Jun 9, 2006 6:29 pm US/Central

Prominent Mexican Politicians Visit Chicago
Country's Politicos Debate Upcoming Election And Immigration Reform

Rafael Romo
Reporting

(CBS) CHICAGO With immigration a hot topic in the United States, many are closely watching the upcoming elections in Mexico. As CBS 2’s Rafael Romo reports, several of the candidates were in Chicago Friday for a debate about Mexican politics and immigration reform.

Representatives of the three most prominent Mexican political parties attended Friday’s debate, including Arturo Sarukhan of the National Action Party.

“There's no country more important to the future well-being of the United States than Mexico," said Sarukhan. “You have a 3,000-kilometer border with Mexico. You’ve got eight million undocumented Mexicans living in this country.”

Sarukhan had ideas on how to address immigration reform.

“Unless you deal holistically with the issue, that is you deal with border security, but you also deal with a temporary worker program that provides circularity of the labor movement between the United States and Mexico, “ said Sarukhan

Chicago has the fifth largest number of Mexicans in the world. And Mexico is the third-largest trading partner of the United States.

“We are partners, we are members of NAFTA,” said Roberta Lajous, a representative of the Party of the Revolutionary Institutions. “ And therefore I'm very happy to be here this morning in Chicago and to see this audience interested in Mexico.”

The event, sponsored by the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, was attended by mostly business people.

Party representatives also focused on the upcoming Mexican presidential elections by criticizing current President Vicente Fox.

“It's very sad, because he promised a lot, “ said Javier Bonilla leader of the Party of the Democratic Revolution. “We had very high expectations about this administration.”

The Mexican presidential elections will be held July 2. Because re-election is not allowed in Mexico, incumbent Fox can not run again.

“There's no country more important to the future well-being of the United States than Mexico,"

Ain't that the truth. Mexico is making American fear for the future well-being of the United States (although I am sure that is not what he meant).