Thread: Mexico-U.S. Relations Deteriorating

http://www.wral.com/apworldnews/6488283/detail.html

MEXICO CITY -- It has been a trying week for Mexico-U.S. relations: a tense border confrontation between U.S. agents and apparent drug traffickers, a Mexican group's offer to print maps of the Arizona desert for illegal migrants and an exchange of terse diplomatic notes.

The administration of Mexican President Vicente Fox has its share of quarrels with other countries, but this promised to be one of the trickiest _ involving the country's northern neighbor and largest trading partner at a time when the U.S. Congress is debating immigration reform.

For Mexico, migration to the United States is a mainstay of the economy; U.S. officials, on the other hand, see the issue in terms of national security and border safety.

"The situation is very sensitive, because the points of tension are very sensitive," said political scientist Oscar Aguilar Ascencio.

Not coincidentally, those issues have come to loggerheads just as Mexico enters the campaign season for its July 2 presidential elections.

Mexico's decision on Thursday to issue a diplomatic note asking U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza to stop making public comments about security and immigration issues may have more to do with domestic politics than anything else.

The note also demanded results in the investigation of the December shooting death of a Mexican migrant in California, which caused outrage south of the border.

"It's for internal consumption," Aguilar Ascencio said. "We're in an election year, and that's the context in which you have to view this."

The same context could apply to Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez's suggestion Thursday that uniformed men in a military-style Humvee who helped apparent drug traffickers escape back into Mexico earlier this week may have been U.S. soldiers or U.S. criminals disguised as Mexican troops.

As unlikely as that may be, it plays well for domestic audiences, Aguilar Ascencio said.

Not all the rhetoric has come from Mexican officials: Many here say U.S. proposals to build hundreds of miles of border walls are political grandstanding for a domestic audience, rather than a realistic solution to illegal immigration.

On Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff condemned in "the strongest terms" plans by a Mexican governmental commission to distribute maps showing highways, water tanks and rescue beacons in the Arizona desert.

"This effort will entice more people to cross, leading to more migrant deaths and the further enrichment of the criminal human trafficking rings that prey on the suffering of others," Chertoff said.

The United States sent its own diplomatic note demanding an investigation of Monday's border incident in which the men dressed in military-style uniforms unloaded what appeared to be bundles of marijuana before setting fire to an SUV that bogged down in the Rio Grande as Texas law enforcement officers watched from the other side of the river.

Mexican leaders are eager not to be seen as backing down in the face of U.S. pressure. When Mexico "suspended" plans to print the migrant maps, it said it did so to avoid exposing migrants to American vigilantes, not because of U.S. criticism.

"We are not responding to that," said commission spokesman Angel Paredes. "We have not taken that into account."

Mexico may be relying on Washington to understand that it's election season here, and not to respond to the rising rhetoric.

"I don't think this is going to damage things very much," Aguilar Ascencio said. "There are interests at stake that are just too practical."

"I think what the United States is likely to do is not escalate the conflict," Aguilar Ascencio said. "Just take note ... and say 'That's fine, I understand.'"

"The Mexican government is obliged to do this song and dance," he said.

yes. we already knew that the words spoken by mexico are like a taco left out in the mexican sun too long

"I think what the United States is likely to do is not escalate the conflict," Aguilar Ascencio said. "Just take note ... and say 'That's fine, I understand.'"

But Senor Ascencio...there just MIGHT be a problem with those pesky US citizens.

RR

The same context could apply to Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez's suggestion Thursday that uniformed men in a military-style Humvee who helped apparent drug traffickers escape back into Mexico earlier this week may have been U.S. soldiers or U.S. criminals disguised as Mexican troops.

This little gem of warped wisdom worries me greatly. Our local news, our local SHERRIFF, eluded to this scenario. I will grant you that we have more people in favor of illegals in this town than people who aren't and that could be the reason the news would DARE to say something like that. But the fact that it is being said at all when there is no proof smacks of the propaganda machine in full swing.

Maybe my paranoid fantasy prediction is coming true sooner, rather thatn later.

Mexican and American military convoys moving in two giant columns, across the border. Being escorted by "our" troops, in between the convoys, are hundreds of elite cartel troops, in plainclothes, transporting dozens of manpad launchers, and briefcase nukes.

If the first wave gets through untouched(likely) then the columns will maintain the route, so 100,000 people PER DAY can stream on in and take over.

President Bush will then escape in Air Force One to his secret villa in Southern mexico, where he becomes Vicente's little bitch.

poa

Originally Posted by JuniusJnr

The same context could apply to Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez's suggestion Thursday that uniformed men in a military-style Humvee who helped apparent drug traffickers escape back into Mexico earlier this week may have been U.S. soldiers or U.S. criminals disguised as Mexican troops.

This little gem of warped wisdom worries me greatly. Our local news, our local SHERRIFF, eluded to this scenario. I will grant you that we have more people in favor of illegals in this town than people who aren't and that could be the reason the news would DARE to say something like that. But the fact that it is being said at all when there is no proof smacks of the propaganda machine in full swing.

Actually I read today of at least one recent incident where some US Army using military vehicles made some type of drug run into Mexico. But this is clearly not the norm, one isolated incident. On the other hand there are over 200 Mexican military invasions in recent years.

THAT'S SO STUPID THAT PEOPLE WILL BELEIVE THAT WE "FRAMED" MEXICO, WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP!!

Not once would American military cross the border without a purpose and especially for what the article said.

Hearing the lies that the Mexican government and their media has said gives me a huge insight into why the illegals we have encountered here are such huge liars, yet they to my son and his friends face said "all Americans are liars" (what's that saying about the first one to point the finger is usually the guilty one?)

I personally think that any diplomacy towards Mexico needs to sto and we need to put every single one of their illegal compadres on buses, trains, and planes and ship them back deep into Mexico with the warning that if they ever attempt to cross that border they will be in prison permanently.

QUOTE:
On Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff condemned in "the strongest terms" plans by a Mexican governmental commission to distribute maps showing highways, water tanks and rescue beacons in the Arizona desert.




If the U.S. has such a problem with illegal immigration, wouldn't it make "a little sense" to hear the following words come out of the MOUTH of the U.S. President.

"Do not try to enter the U.S. ILLEGALLY and if you are here in the U.S. ILLEGALLY you should leave."

It would only take 30 seconds or less to say it.

Well I'll say it and I feel we all have just as much authority as our president or anyone else in our government, DO NOT COME HERE, AND IF YOU ARE LEAVE IMMEDIATELY, THIS IS OUR "HOME" AND YOUR PRESENCES IS NOT WELCOME UNINVITIED!".

Is it not true that we all have authority in this country? Is this not a government of the people? Are we those people? Think so!! Then we need to start saying it. Ever notice how the neo-Nazi's are so public about there hateful words? They are not ashamed to say whats on their minds? They have no qualms about saying things right to people's faces and what they say is definitley racist and wrong? WHY THEN CAN WE NOT SAY THIS PUBLICLY AND NOT BE ASHAMED? IT'S ABOUT THE DESIRE TO STAND UP FOR THE LAWS WE BELEIVE IN HERE, THIS IS OUR COUNTRY!!

"Do not try to enter the U.S. ILLEGALLY and if you are here in the U.S. ILLEGALLY you should leave."

On another forum somewhere, a question was: What would you do if you could be President of the United States for one day. I said I'd make an announcement telling every illegal immigrant that they have exactly 30 days to get out of this country because after that we will start rounding them up and anyone caught in this country illegally after that will be arrested, deported and never allowed to set foot on US soil again. I don't find that to be an unreasonable thing for our government to proclaim and then follow it through.

The told the Japanese they were going to bomb them by dropping flyers out of planes. They told the Iraqis during the first Gulf War they were going to be bombed by the same method. Why can't we tell the illegals the same thing in our own country--that they will get out of get deported permanently and never be allowed to apply for any sort of guest worker or immigration status?