Thread: Mexico to lobby for immigration reform

"There are few matters so important to the future of this country," Sarukhan told reporters in Mexico City before departing for Washington.


Mexico to lobby for immigration reform

By JULIE WATSON, Associated Press Writer
Tue Feb 20, 10:41 PM ET



Mexico plans to begin an aggressive lobbying effort in the United States to secure an immigration reform agreement, the country's new ambassador in Washington said Tuesday.

Mexican consulates in the United States will talk with state and federal lawmakers, business chambers, civic organizations and "all actors of U.S. society" who support comprehensive immigration reform, Arturo Sarukhan said.

"There are few matters so important to the future of this country," Sarukhan told reporters in Mexico City before departing for Washington.

The ambassador said Mexico has a brief window to convince Washington to approve immigration reforms before campaigning begins for the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

"We are going to put into place the same kind of diplomatic and lobbying effort that we did in the early 1990s when NAFTA was being decided," said Sarukhan, referring to the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Mexico wants Washington to usher in reforms to create a guest worker program, provide a legal path for millions of Mexicans living in the United States and allow for the reunification of families split by immigration laws.

President Bush supports giving Mexican migrants temporary work visas he has failed to win support in Congress.

During his six-year term, former President Vicente Fox campaigned unsuccessfully for an expansion of temporary U.S. work visas, frustrating many Mexicans.

Sarukhan said the government's lobbying effort would not overshadow its promise to speak out to protect the rights of Mexicans living in the United States, which he said "forms the backbone of our diplomacy in the U.S."




http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/mexico_us_im ... 4T8SZQuk0A

Do they have the legal right to do this? Dam. can we do the same in their country?

We used to say only in Hollywood, now it's only in Washington DC!

We suffer an invasion of untold millions of Mexicans and if we drive a piece of equipment 20' south of the border, we apologize.

If we're going to decide our own sovereignty, we get the foreign nation helping us make that decision.

Outrageous is a cosmos sized understatement.

Sarukhan said the government's lobbying effort would not overshadow its promise to speak out to protect the rights of Mexicans living in the United States, which he said

Code:

"forms the backbone of our diplomacy in the U.S."

They have the audacity to say the 20 million illegals are more of a benefit to the country than 3 hundred million citizens?!!!!!,,,,,,, I`d like to slap this guy silly!

We need to stop a foreign government from telling the US government what our policy should be. America the once great and free now given away by its president and congress.

If they are such a "benefit" why isn't Mexico doing something to lure them back home?

MK...your emoticons are too cute. You always get the best stuff.

Aztlan. I am shocked that our politicans allow this to go on. Greed or not...it is so obviously wrong. I never thought things like this would happen in the US.

I want to know why foreign countries are allowed to lobby our Congress, is this a normal thing for foreign countries?What can we do to stop this?