Mexico raps US immigration bill on border security

6/25/2013

MEXICO CITY  — The Mexican government is objecting to an immigration bill that appears headed for approval in the U.S. Senate, saying the initiative’s heavy focus on border security is not consistent with the relationship between the two countries.

Foreign Relations Secretary Jose Meade says that instead of expanding a border fence, as proposed in the bill, the United States should modernize border bridges to expedite commerce.

In Meade’s words, “measures that could affect ties between communities move away from the principles of shared responsibility and neighborliness.”

He says that “fences are not the solution” to the problem of illegal immigration.

Meade read a statement to reporters today and didn’t take questions. It is the first time the Mexican government has addressed the U.S. immigration bill.