I don't know exactly how to interpret a recent newsletter from U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza, especially given his past comments. Since he (of course) has close ties to Our Leader, do his statements reflect the Bush administration's thinking? Is he playing the bad cop in some charade? I have no idea.

MEXICO CITY- U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza on Friday asked Mexicans to respect America's right to protect its borders and said there has been widespread misinformation about a proposal to extend to border walls and tighten immigration enforcement.

In a five-page, more than 2,000-word newsletter released to coincide with the beginning of the new year, Garza wrote about House Bill 4437, which must still be considered by the U.S. Senate but would build 700 miles of additional fences along the U.S.-Mexico border while making illegal entry a felony and enlisting military and local police to help stop undocumented migrants.

"Some have said a border fence violates human rights and have even compared it to the Berlin Wall," Garza said. "Comparisons of proposals to alter our border policies to the Berlin Wall are not only disingenuous and intellectually dishonest, they are personally offensive to me.

"The Berlin Wall was built to keep people trapped inside, and was created by an oppressive authoritarian government," he said. "In stark contrast, our democratically elected government has proposed methods of protecting its own citizenry and enforcing our immigration laws."

...In the newsletter, Garza said the measure "is not an effort to 'close' the U.S. border. Neither is the bill just about fences."

"There is no human right to enter another country in violation of its laws," he said. "Every sovereign state has the right to control the entry of foreigners. Mexico too imposes immigration controls."

..."But we do trust that our neighbors will respect our right to those measures on our own territory," he said, "and will understand the distinction we make between legal and illegal immigration."

And, from March 2005, see: U.S. Amb. Tony Garza: "Reliance on remittances from the U.S. is not a viable economic policy."