Calderon slams AZ immigration law, ignores Mexico’s tougher immigration laws

posted at 11:26 am on April 27, 2010 by Cassy Fiano
[ Immigration ]   

Mexican President Felipe Calderon is very displeased with the new immigration law just passed in Arizona. The law aggressively enforces American immigration laws, and Calderon is not happy at all.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Monday condemned Arizona’s tough new immigration law as discriminatory and warned that relations with the U.S. border state will suffer.

The measure, which will make it a crime under state law to be an illegal immigrant, “opens the door to intolerance, hate, discrimination and abuse in law enforcement,” Calderon said.

Calderon said he had instructed the Foreign Relations Department to double its efforts to protect the rights of Mexicans living in the United States and seek help from lawyers and immigration experts.

“Nobody can sit around with their arms crossed in the face of decisions that so clearly affect our countrymen,” Calderon said in a speech at the Institute for Mexicans Abroad.

The Arizona law restored immigration to the forefront of U.S.-Mexico relations, which had largely been focused on deeper cooperation in the drug war.

The law, set to take effect in late July or August, will require police to question people about their immigration status if they suspect they are there illegally. Day laborers can be arrested for soliciting work if they are in the U.S. illegally, and police departments can be sued if they don’t carry out the law.

Considering Calderon’s outrage, Mexico’s immigration laws must be open and not nearly as restrictive. Right?

Right??

Oh, wait. They actually have the toughest immigration laws on the continent. According to Human Events, they even deport more people annually than the United States does.

Who could disagree with such a law? It makes perfect sense. The Mexican constitution strictly defines the rights of citizens — and the denial of many fundamental rights to non-citizens, illegal and illegal. Under the constitution, the Ley General de Población, or
General Law on Population, spells out specifically the country’s immigration policy.

It is an interesting law — and one that should cause us all to ask, Why is our great southern neighbor pushing us to water down our own immigration laws and policies, when its own immigration restrictions are the toughest on the continent? If a felony is a crime punishable by more than one year in prison, then Mexican law makes it a felony to be an illegal alien in Mexico.

If the United States adopted such statutes, Mexico no doubt would denounce it as a manifestation of American racism and bigotry.

… Foreigners who fail to obey the rules will be fined, deported, and/or imprisoned as felons:

• Foreigners who fail to obey a deportation order are to be punished. (Article 117)
• Foreigners who are deported from Mexico and attempt to re-enter the country without authorization can be imprisoned for up to 10 years. (Article 118)
• Foreigners who violate the terms of their visa may be sentenced to up to six years in prison (Articles 119, 120 and 121). Foreigners who misrepresent the terms of their visa while in Mexico — such as working with out a permit — can also be imprisoned.

Under Mexican law, illegal immigration is a felony. The General Law on Population says,

• “A penalty of up to two years in prison and a fine of three hundred to five thousand pesos will be imposed on the foreigner who enters the country illegally.” (Article 123)
• Foreigners with legal immigration problems may be deported from Mexico instead of being imprisoned. (Article 125)
• Foreigners who “attempt against national sovereignty or security” will be deported. (Article 126)

Mexicans who help illegal aliens enter the country are themselves considered criminals under the law:

• A Mexican who marries a foreigner with the sole objective of helping the foreigner live in the country is subject to up to five years in prison. (Article 127)
• Shipping and airline companies that bring undocumented foreigners into Mexico will be fined. (Article 132)

So, Calderon wants to have his harsh immigration laws, but slams the United States for having immigrations laws even a fraction as tough. On top of that, he has absolutely zero authority to determine what our immigration policies will be.

Yes, this new law makes it a crime to be in the state of Arizona as an illegal immigrant. What a shocking concept — it’s illegal to be in Arizona if you are an illegal immigrant.

Actually, it seems pretty rational to me. And frankly, it’s about time that sometime stepped up and did something about the illegal immigration problem we have. Arizona especially has a problem. Phoenix is the kidnapping capital of the United States, and second in the world. The city with the most kidnappings in the world? Mexico City.

We have every right to be using tough enforcement measures to combat illegal immigration. This has gone past the realm of debate. This has become a necessity. Something had to be done, so Arizona legislators did something.

And frankly, there’s nothing Felipe Calderon can do about it. His whining is nothing new, of course. Whenever we try to enforce our immigration laws, he throws a hissy fit.

Why? Well, let me shed some light into his mindset:

I have said that Mexico does not stop at its border, that wherever there is a Mexican, there is Mexico.

Seems to me like Felipe Calderon is engaging in a reconquista, no? Before Obama goes against Arizona in favor of illegal immigrants, perhaps he should consider that.

Cross-posted from Cassy’s blog. Stop by for more original commentary, or follow her on Twitter!

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