Thursday, September 08, 2005
yomexicoNEWS
September 2005 13:08 EDT
Monday, September 5, 2005 Mexico's president urges closer U.S. cooperation on border issues By Ginger Thompson / New York Times News Service MEXICO CITY -- President Vicente Fox responded over the weekend to criticism from U.S. authorities about a recent surge in violence and illegal immigration along the border, saying that the United States shares responsibility for the problems and should work harder with Mexico to correct them. Fox said he rejected "forcefully" the statements by the Bush administration and governors of border states, contending they had unfairly depicted Mexico as a haven for organized crime, though his government has arrested more drug traffickers and dismantled more cartels than any of its predecessors. He also said Mexican immigrants had been portrayed unfairly as potential terrorists when they had in fact become a pillar of the U.S. economy. In an interview aboard the presidential airplane on Saturday, Fox acknowledged that his government had a long way to go to make the border secure. But he said the United States should stop casting blame for problems created by both countries. He also said the United States should not allow concerns about border security to derail efforts to adopt new measures, two of them currently before Congress, that would allow millions of additional Mexicans to become guest workers in the United States. "Security is a shared responsibility," Fox said. Then, referring to the United States, he said, "I don't understand that now they only cast blame and accusations, and they do not collaborate or cooperate so that together we can resolve this problem." On the changes in immigration policy, he said: "There is will on the part of President Bush, according to what he has expressed publicly, and what he has expressed in conversations with us. So, I trust that in the coming weeks and months, we will succeed finally in arriving at a positive resolution for the benefit of both countries." More pressing realities, however, may stand in the way. Work on immigration policy was first postponed four years ago, after the Sept. 11 attacks. Then it was put off for Bush's re-election campaign. Now, it may be set aside again as the United States struggles to recover from Hurricane Katrina. But Fox does not have a lot of time left; he is entering his last year in office. His comments were aimed at what many here perceive as a troubling shift in U.S. attitudes and diplomatic policy toward Mexico. In recent weeks, U.S. officials have openly berated Mexico for failing to stop a wave of drug-related violence that has cost close to 1,000 lives along the 2,000-mile border. The Bush administration has issued numerous travel advisories, describing rampant violence by heavily armed drug traffickers and warning tourists that they cannot rely on corrupt Mexican authorities to protect them. Neither Fox nor his aides denied that the problems exist. But they said that the responses from the United States did not reflect the complexities of the problems, nor did they acknowledge that Mexico had undertaken unprecedented efforts to address them. Related news from the Web Latest headlines by topic: • George Bush • 2004 Presidential Election • US News Powered by Topix.net
6 September 2005 12:36 EDT
U.S. Confirms Passport Policy Under the new requirements, travelers to and from Canada, Mexico and other allied nations will have to show secure documents. From Associated Press September 2, 2005 WASHINGTON — The U.S. government said Thursday that it would proceed with plans to require travelers from Canada, Mexico and other allied nations to show a passport or other secure document to enter the country. The departments of State and Homeland Security said they expected to officially adopt the policy — which has drawn complaints from travelers, the affected nations and even President Bush — by the end of the year. But they pushed back by a year the date when the requirements would begin to affect travelers. Under the new timeline, by Dec. 31, 2006, all who travel by air or sea from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Bermuda and Central and South America will have to show a passport or one of four other secure documents. For travelers crossing land borders, namely from Mexico and Canada, the rules will take effect by Dec. 31, 2007. Department officials also said they would keep working to come up with a cheaper alternative document to allow U.S. citizens and other travelers to cross into the country by land. U.S. passports cost $97. After the rules were announced in April, Bush said he was surprised by the passport requirement, which drew sharp criticism from the Canadian government, and said he had ordered a review of the plans. In December, Bush signed into law an intelligence overhaul that requires tighter border security and was the basis for the passport proposal. Homeland Security spokesman Jarrod Agen said the administration was looking to use biometric technology to create an alternative identification card before the 2007 deadline. Moving forward with the passport plans Thursday, he said, "gives us time to develop the most sensible and secure document which won't stop the flow of traffic at the border." The Canadian government will continue working with the administration to develop a new document for widespread use on both sides of the northern border, said Jasmine Panthaky, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Embassy in Washington. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at latimes.com/archives. Article licensing and reprint options Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Times Privacy Policy Terms of Service Home Delivery Advertise Archives Contact Site Map Help partners:
Monday, September 5, 2005 Mexico's president urges closer U.S. cooperation on border issues By Ginger Thompson / New York Times News Service MEXICO CITY -- President Vicente Fox responded over the weekend to criticism from U.S. authorities about a recent surge in violence and illegal immigration along the border, saying that the United States shares responsibility for the problems and should work harder with Mexico to correct them. Fox said he rejected "forcefully" the statements by the Bush administration and governors of border states, contending they had unfairly depicted Mexico as a haven for organized crime, though his government has arrested more drug traffickers and dismantled more cartels than any of its predecessors. He also said Mexican immigrants had been portrayed unfairly as potential terrorists when they had in fact become a pillar of the U.S. economy. In an interview aboard the presidential airplane on Saturday, Fox acknowledged that his government had a long way to go to make the border secure. But he said the United States should stop casting blame for problems created by both countries. He also said the United States should not allow concerns about border security to derail efforts to adopt new measures, two of them currently before Congress, that would allow millions of additional Mexicans to become guest workers in the United States. "Security is a shared responsibility," Fox said. Then, referring to the United States, he said, "I don't understand that now they only cast blame and accusations, and they do not collaborate or cooperate so that together we can resolve this problem." On the changes in immigration policy, he said: "There is will on the part of President Bush, according to what he has expressed publicly, and what he has expressed in conversations with us. So, I trust that in the coming weeks and months, we will succeed finally in arriving at a positive resolution for the benefit of both countries." More pressing realities, however, may stand in the way. Work on immigration policy was first postponed four years ago, after the Sept. 11 attacks. Then it was put off for Bush's re-election campaign. Now, it may be set aside again as the United States struggles to recover from Hurricane Katrina. But Fox does not have a lot of time left; he is entering his last year in office. His comments were aimed at what many here perceive as a troubling shift in U.S. attitudes and diplomatic policy toward Mexico. In recent weeks, U.S. officials have openly berated Mexico for failing to stop a wave of drug-related violence that has cost close to 1,000 lives along the 2,000-mile border. The Bush administration has issued numerous travel advisories, describing rampant violence by heavily armed drug traffickers and warning tourists that they cannot rely on corrupt Mexican authorities to protect them. Neither Fox nor his aides denied that the problems exist. But they said that the responses from the United States did not reflect the complexities of the problems, nor did they acknowledge that Mexico had undertaken unprecedented efforts to address them. Related news from the Web Latest headlines by topic: • George Bush • 2004 Presidential Election • US News Powered by Topix.net
6 September 2005 12:36 EDT
U.S. Confirms Passport Policy Under the new requirements, travelers to and from Canada, Mexico and other allied nations will have to show secure documents. From Associated Press September 2, 2005 WASHINGTON — The U.S. government said Thursday that it would proceed with plans to require travelers from Canada, Mexico and other allied nations to show a passport or other secure document to enter the country. The departments of State and Homeland Security said they expected to officially adopt the policy — which has drawn complaints from travelers, the affected nations and even President Bush — by the end of the year. But they pushed back by a year the date when the requirements would begin to affect travelers. Under the new timeline, by Dec. 31, 2006, all who travel by air or sea from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Bermuda and Central and South America will have to show a passport or one of four other secure documents. For travelers crossing land borders, namely from Mexico and Canada, the rules will take effect by Dec. 31, 2007. Department officials also said they would keep working to come up with a cheaper alternative document to allow U.S. citizens and other travelers to cross into the country by land. U.S. passports cost $97. After the rules were announced in April, Bush said he was surprised by the passport requirement, which drew sharp criticism from the Canadian government, and said he had ordered a review of the plans. In December, Bush signed into law an intelligence overhaul that requires tighter border security and was the basis for the passport proposal. Homeland Security spokesman Jarrod Agen said the administration was looking to use biometric technology to create an alternative identification card before the 2007 deadline. Moving forward with the passport plans Thursday, he said, "gives us time to develop the most sensible and secure document which won't stop the flow of traffic at the border." The Canadian government will continue working with the administration to develop a new document for widespread use on both sides of the northern border, said Jasmine Panthaky, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Embassy in Washington. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at latimes.com/archives. Article licensing and reprint options Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Times Privacy Policy Terms of Service Home Delivery Advertise Archives Contact Site Map Help partners:
