U.S., Mexico must consult on security, official says
Louie Gilot / El Paso Times

Consulting with Mexico on border fencing and other border security projects "is not only a good idea but the only way to go about it," Carlos De Icaza, Mexico's ambassador to the U.S. said Monday in El Paso.

The idea of consulting with Mexico is controversial among U.S. conservatives who see it as compromising the security and sovereignty of the United States.

Republican House members have scheduled a hearing in El Paso Thursday titled "Should Mexico hold veto power over U.S. border security decisions?"

The title refers to a provision in the Senate immigration bill, S. 2611, which would require consultation with Mexico on plans to build a border fence.

But Ambassador De Icaza, who was in El Paso on Monday to attend the opening reception for the third annual Border Security Conference at UTEP, said binational consultation already occurs and with positive results, in human-trafficking investigations for instance.

De Icaza was promoting the principle of "shared responsibility" as defined in a resolution signed by both houses of the Mexican Congress in February. The document is a mea culpa on immigration -- it recognizes that "Mexicans do not find in their own country an economic and social environment ... that encourages them to stay in the country" -- but it also says that Mexico should be involved in immigration decisions in the United States.

For instance, Mexico should be allowed to participate in the "design, management, supervision and evaluation" of a U.S. guest worker program, according to the resolution. De Icaza said his government was willing to create more incentives for immigrants to come back to Mexico, like helping migrants buy houses in Mexico.

"Fences and walls are not the best way to cooperate," De Icaza said. "What we need are more bridges of understanding."

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