Poor, Poor Mexicans

So Mexican immigrants are a theat? Give me a break.

The U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Antonio Garza, issued a five-page statement defending tough Mexican border measures. Oh yeah--and he's also a former official from Texas and a friend of President Bush. Why doesn't that surprise me?

"There is no human right to enter another country in violation of its laws," Garza wrote. "Illegal immigration is a threat to our system of laws and an affront to the millions around the world, including in Mexico, who play by the rules in seeking to come to the United States."

According to an article in the Jan. 16 Tribune, this letter was the first response by U.S. officials in Mexico to a crescendo of attacks on proposed security legislation passed by the U.S. House in December. The legislation would provide $2.2 billion to build 700 more miles of fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, make illegal immigration a felony and enable U.S. soldiers and police to enforce immigration laws. Mexican President Vicente Fox has called the legislation "shameful."

Mexican officials insist it would make the border more dangerous without stopping the crossing of determined immigrants who know that plenty of jobs are waiting for them on the U.S. side. The U.S. Senate is scheduled to debate the legislation in February, along with proposals to create a guest-worker program to allow more immigrant job-seekers to enter the U.S. legally. The House legislation did not include those proposals.

And I said this before--why do Mexicans come to the United States anyway? For better jobs. Maybe in July, when Mexico gets a new president, the poor (and I do mean poor) people over there can finally get some help.