Speech #1050031828

The 1981 references to the right of Mexicans to travel freely were absent. Instead. we heard frequent and favorable references to the importance of continued contacts between the two nations. This is not to say that Mexicans were silent on the topic of immigration or muted in their criticism of the way .their Mexican brothers and sisters are sometimes treated by United States immigration authorities. But. in sharp contrast to 1981 when the polemics and broadsides flew freely. on this visit our Mexican hosts and hostessesI found many more women now than in 1981 in positions of influenceendorsed collaborative United StatesMexican initiatives on immigration and drug intervention. One jarring note to Secretary Lujan and me was the belief held by many Mexicans. even some who have spent time in the United States. that there exists in the United States a selective dislike and antipathy toward Mexican people. Several made the point that the two immigration bills then pending before the 104th Congress singled out Mexican nationals for the brunt of the enforcement and control effort. Secretary Lujan. himself of Hispanic descent. and I did our best to assure everyone that Americans bore no ill nor animus toward Mexicans in a generic or a class sense. I did. however. point out that the frustration of the American people grows because of increased violence at the border committed by aliens seeking to enter the United States illegally and by organized Mexican drug smugglers. Frustrations are also fanned by stories in the media detailing the abuse of Americas welfare and health care systems by undocumented Mexican aliens. To be fair. it must here be noted that not everyone who enters at the southem border is from Mexicomany of them are from elsewhere in the Americas and the worldand not everyone who is in America illegally has crossed the border to get here--many have overstayed their visas. In our discussions in Mexico. I resorted to a familiar and. I feel. powerful argument: Mexicans in positions of influence over their nations public policy should support United States efforts to control illegal immigration from Mexico in order to preserve legal immigration programswhich benefit Mexico more than any other nation in the hemispherewhich are not being challenged on Capitol Hill in response to the citizen frustrations I have referred to earlier. Furthermore. the growing export and import trade between United States and Mexicounder NAFTAand the expanded financial relationships between the nationsillustrated by the recent support program for the peso engineered by the United States Treasury Department---suggest that Mexico gains much by supporting United States sovereignty over its international borders. All in all.