Felipe Calderon is Vicente Fox 2

Mexico's newly-elected president Felipe Calderon spoke to foreign reporters and one report is here. If you look back, you'll probably find that what he said is very similar or identical to past statements made by Vicente Fox:

[Calderon] said Thursday that Mexico must stem illegal emigration through aggressive anti-poverty programs and job creation, adding that a migration pact with the U.S. will remain a key goal for his country.

In his first interview with foreign correspondents as president-elect, Mr. Calderon said he would work hard to reach a migration accord before President Bush leaves office. But he warned that until policies to create high-quality jobs in Mexico take root, U.S. lawmakers will have to look at illegal immigration as a continuing reality.

"We can't ignore it. We can't make it disappear by decree," he said. "We have to find mechanisms between the two countries to solve the problem jointly."

Mr. Calderon noted that leaving Mexico remains a likely option for young people, who enter the job market at a rate of 1.2 million annually and cannot find opportunities to make ends meet. He added that building trust among Americans would greatly help get action on immigration and other complex U.S.-Mexico issues.

Fire Rob Allyn and hire me, because I've got a wonderful trust-building plan: encourage the illegal aliens that your country has sent us to come home. Then, after a decade or two of your country stopping its parasitic behavior, we'll talk.

Note also, of course, that reporter Alfredo Corchado, as with probably all the rest the New Vicente spoke to, acted merely as a transcriptionist and not a journalist. Couldn't the DMN have saved money by simply hiring a local person with a tape recorder to cover the meeting?

Immigration · Fri, 09/08/2006 - 06:32 · Importance: 1