Congress debates immigration bills
WASHINGTON — Congress took up legislation to require voters to show proof of citizenship and to build a 700 mile fence along the Mexican border as Republicans sharpened their attacks on illegal immigration seven weeks before the midterm elections.
The House of Representatives debate on a new photo ID plan for voters, and Senate action on the fence, were part of a get-tough policy on illegal immigrants that Republicans have taken in the wake of failure to agree on broader legislation that would set a path for undocumented workers to attain U.S. citizenship.
House Republican leaders have insisted that tighter borders and tougher laws must precede immigration reform. The House passed the fence bill last week and plans to vote on Thursday on bills that will increase penalties for those building tunnels under the border, make it easier to detain and deport immigrant gang members and criminals, and clarify the ability of state and local law enforcement officers to detain illegal immigrants.
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Mexico criticizes U.S. immigration bill focusing mostly on border security
The Mexican government Friday slammed the U.S. Congress for approving the construction of a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, while Mexican human rights groups said it will only cause more deaths.
The U.S. House of Representatives late Thursday approved building 700 miles of fence along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border, giving priority for construction in Laredo, Texas. The city is across the border from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, where warring drug cartels have been blamed for more than 140 killings this year.
The measure is part of a wider immigration enforcement bill that
Mexico's Congress seeks support against US wall
The Mexican Congress is asking legislatures in Spain, Portugal and Latin American countries to join a coalition against a proposal by U.S. lawmakers to build some 700 miles of barriers along their nation's southern border as part of efforts to stop illegal immigration.
The request is contained in a letter drafted by the speaker of the Mexican lower house, Heliodoro Diaz.
"I hereby ask you, in an act of unity among Ibero-American Congresses, that you share our concern about and condemnation of (the U.S. wall), and that you express the deepest solidarity with the
Mexico's Congress seeks support against US wall
The Mexican Congress is asking legislatures in Spain, Portugal and Latin American countries to join a coalition against a proposal by U.S. lawmakers to build some 700 miles of barriers along their nation's southern border as part of efforts to stop illegal immigration.
The request is contained in a letter drafted by the speaker of the Mexican lower house, Heliodoro Diaz.
"I hereby ask you, in an act of unity among Ibero-American Congresses, that you share our concern about and condemnation of (the U.S. wall), and that you express the deepest solidarity with the
Mexico, U.S. Break Up Counterfeit Ring
Mexico and the United States broke up a counterfeiting ring that printed an estimated $5 million in fake $100 bills in Mexico and sold them across the border, officials said Wednesday.
The ring, based in the western state of Jalisco, operated more than four years, selling fake $100 bills in Santa Ana, Calif., San Diego, Calif, and Phoenix, Ariz., said Jose Luis Marmolejo, of the attorney general's organized crime division.
The bills, produced with offset printing equipment, were "one of the best falsifications we've seen," Marmolejo said.
Authorities arrested six people, including a man they
Mexico assails US border fence immigration bill
A bill moving through the U.S. Congress that demands security fencing with lights and cameras be built along the Mexico-U.S. border will not stop the flood of illegal immigrants, Mexico said Friday.
The House of Representatives voted 260-159 late Thursday to require the high-tech fencing along parts of the U.S. border, while seemingly moving away from a White House plan for immigration reform that includes a guest worker program and is backed by Mexico.
Mexican presidential spokesman Ruben Aguilar said Mexico would keep pushing for a comprehensive immigration reform that expands temporary worker programs.
"An immigration reform
Welker to travel to Mexico line
A contingent of Colorado lawmakers plans a fact-finding tour in Arizona next week for a firsthand look at the impact of illegal immigration.
“The cost of illegal immigration to Coloradans is enormous,†said Rep. Jim Welker, a Loveland Republican who’s one of at least three Colorado GOP House members making the trip.
“We cannot stand by and watch the pocketbooks of Colorado taxpayers and law-abiding immigrants drain while they carry the increasing burden of supporting illegal aliens,†Welker said in a Wednesday statement.
“The pressure on our schools, our prisons, our health care system and other taxpayer-funded services
Mexico Calls for New Approach on Immigration Issue
Mexican President Vicente Fox says serious discussions and cooperation between the United States and Mexico, rather than reinforcing the entire border with a fence, is the way to organize orderly migration, while insuring security.
President Bush toured the American Southwest states of Arizona and New Mexico earlier this week to promote and explain what he called his "comprehensive immigration strategy."
The illegal immigration situation in these two states is so serious that the governors have declared statewide emergencies. The U.S. Congress is scheduled to vote on border enforcement legislation soon.
President Bush said
How is immigration reform none of Mexico's business?
Diehard optimists still hoping for a forward-looking binational migration accord based on mutual respect and regional cooperation got hit with a cruel dose of reality last week. As a flood of xenophobia-tinged border security and immigrant-crackdown bills work their way through both houses of the U.S. Congress, President Bush delivered a long-awaited major speech that left no doubt about how Mexico's neighbor and trading partner will deal with reform.
The message comes down to this: The United States will not regularize the millions of undocumented immigrants working in its territory. It will instead seek
Mexico seeks international support against deadly US border wall
US lawmakers proposed to build some 700 miles of barriers to stop illegal immigration from the South.
Sixteen years after the fall of the Berlin wall, another barrier of bricks is being fuelled to separate two nations and stop immigration. A proposal by U.S. lawmakers to build some 1,130 kilometers of barriers along their nation's southern border as part of efforts to stop illegal immigration has irritated Mexicans, who are seeking international support to block Washington's plans.
The Mexican Congress is asking legislatures in Spain, Portugal and Latin American countries to join a coalition
Senate Votes for Fence Along U.S.-Mexico Border
Today conservatives had their first victory in the immigration debate taking place this week on the floor of the U.S. Senate.
The Senate voted 83-16 to build a 350-mile, triple-layered fence along the U.S.-Mexico border and to add a 500-mile vehicle barrier on top of it.
The bill was an amendment to the current immigration reform bill (S. 2611) being considered by the Senate. The bills sponsor, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R.-Ala.), said that by passing my amendment, we are sending a signal that we are serious about stopping the flow of illegal immigrants over the border.
If
