Posted on 11/05/2003 7:24:27 AM PST by VU4G10
The U.S. ambassador says the rising death toll among Mexicans trying to cross the border illegally gives the issue 'a sense of urgency.'
U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza on Tuesday said the U.S. Congress will likely approve limited migration reform in the next few months.
Garza said the rising death toll among migrants trying to cross the border illegally has given the issue "a sense of urgency," and ventured that migration reform could come in "a couple of months, [perhaps] three months."
"You'll see a lot of movement here pretty quickly," he told participants at an American Chamber of Commerce conference.
In recent months, U.S. lawmakers have proposed three separate bills to give more temporary work permits to undocumented migrants living in the United States. Garza said the Bush administration might take steps on its own toward migration reform apart from any action taken by Congress, though he did not elaborate what form such action could take.
"When you see the kinds of tragedies we've seen, you want to act out of compassion," Garza told a business forum in Mexico City, saying President Bush is looking for ways to "minimize the prospect of someone dying in the desert."
Garza also argued that legalizing undocumented workers was in line with the needs of the U.S. labor market.
He said the size of the Mexican illegal immigrant population an estimated 4-5 million "tells us that [U.S.] employers are seeking" out Mexican labor.
"Our migration policy must begin to respond to these realities," Garza said.
Garza's comments amounted to perhaps the most emphatic argument for migration reform by an official from the Bush administration since the Sept. 11 attacks shelved the issue two years ago.
Before the attacks, Mexico and the United States appeared close to an agreement on some sort of guest worker program. But the United States' subsequent focus on security, coupled by Mexico's refusal in the U.N. Security Council to back U.S. plans to invade Iraq, put migration talks on the back burner.
The past few months, however, have seen introduction of three new migration reform proposals in the U.S. Congress. Two of the bills propose substantial overhauls of migration laws, and could lead to the legalization of millions of undocumented immigrants. A third and less ambitious proposal seen as having the most support would legalize up to 500,000 agricultural workers.
The bills for wider reform face an uphill battle in Congress after being criticized by some legislators as de facto amnesty programs that would reward migrants for breaking migration laws.
The first two years of President Fox's term saw the nation's diplomats aggressively pushing for "the whole enchilada" in migration reform which was how former Foreign Minister Jorge Castañeda described a wideranging guest worker program.
Since Castañeda's resignation early this year, the government has toned down its expectations, and in the words of current Foreign Minister Ernesto Luis Derbez, has sought "to cut the enchilada into bite-sized pieces."
Garza agreed that wide ranging reform will not come overnight.
"We're back on solid ground," Garza said of the congressional proposals. "But in the short term, you have to address these [issues] in terms of political realities."
Then they should stay the hell at home. Problem of Mexicans dying on their illegal trips would then cease.
A sense of urgency BUT you nimwits are looking in the wrong direction, Amnesty my bum! Look, when I knew if I ragged and tagged on my Mother on any issue, she would give in because giving in was easier than saying No! My kids try it tirelessly with me, but difference is I am a fighter. This issue reminds me of that, our politicians and government are weak! Weak to the point they would rather throw in the towel than do what is right!
Secretary of State Colin Powell, in various interviews last week, told Spanish language television networks that the Bush Administration will not reach an immigration agreement legalizing illegal aliens (amnesty) from Mexico this year.
This is a probably a signal from the Secretary of State to the Mexican government to lower their expectations before upcoming talks during which immigration will be discussed.
But this is surely a good sign that the Bush Administration is again backing down from its very public pro-amnesty position of just days before 9-11." From numbersusa.com.
See Powell's statement in #32. We're asked to fax our Senator on the Immigration Subcommittee and applaud Powell statement. What better way to get our voices heard than by sending FREE faxes where the text is supplied for us.
Response: In America Gradualism works for any given issue.
Gosh, if migrants perish in the desert, they can't work for cheap, lower wage rates, and boost quarterly profits. I'll bet these business interest immigration boosters are just all broken up over the dreadful fate of these poor migrants.
This country does not need more people, certainly not more criminals and welfare con artists. Already our historic battle fields and beautiful nature areas have been demolished for tacky housing developments. Traffic jams are growing, and our nonrenewable resources are being used up at a fast pace.
Those who support this are bought off, hate this country, or are out of touch with reality.
Lie after lie from the bush administration.
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