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Calderon defends Mexican immigrant workers(Dallas Morning News, The (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) DALLAS _ Mexican President Felipe Calderon defended immigrant workers and their contribution to the U.S. economy before a group of immigrant leaders meeting in Dallas on Tuesday afternoon, but also said Mexico needs to produce the type of jobs that will keep its people at home and end the painful separation of families between the two nations. "The American economy cannot run without Mexican labor, which contributes to the prosperity of this country," Calderon told members of an advisory board to the Mexican government during a meeting at the Renaissance hotel. "Contrary to what many people believe, I don't aspire to see Mexicans migrate," Calderon told about 125 advisors to the government's Institute of Mexicans Abroad, or IME for its initials in Spanish. "It's not my dream to spend the rest of my life seeing how Mexicans risk their lives crossing the (Rio Grande) river or the desert to find opportunities here." Mexico is improving its educational and health care systems, building infrastructure and fighting drug cartels in order to create the conditions for economic growth and prosperity that will allow new generations to stay home and not head north to Texas and beyond. "One day there will not be a single boy or girl that leaves out of hunger or need or to look for employment," Calderon said. "One day, a child will not leave his parents never to see them again ... and the Mexican government is absolutely committed to doing its part." Upon Calderon's arrival at the hotel, the IME advisors greeted him with applause. The institute is a Mexican government agency that seeks to help immigrants with education, health and other issues by reaching out to their leaders in the United States. Mexico's 31 states and Mexico City are also represented on the institute's advisory panel that is now meeting in Dallas, as well as advisors from Canada. On his arrival at Dallas' Love field around 3 p.m., Calderon was met by Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce Chairman Robert Chereck, and members of the immigrant community, one of whom offered him a gift box and an emotional welcome. "This is a small souvenir to remember your visit," said Maria Antonieta Gonzalez, an immigrant representative from San Antonio. "Mr. President, remember that we are here in El Norte (the U.S.), but our roots and our hearts are in Mexico and in your hands." Some people in the reception group wiped away tears, visibly moved by her words. Calderon later met with about 30 Dallas business leaders, including include Ross Perot, Jr., Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and Mary Kay CEO David Holl. Also in attendance will be about 25 business leaders from Mexico. Prior to Calderon's 3 p.m. arrival in Dallas from a North American summit with President George W. Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in New Orleans, advisory group members said they would press Calderon to defend their rights in the United States while lifting their families out of poverty back in Mexico. "Mexico is a rich country, so full of natural resources, whether oil, silver, gold, coast lines, etc.," said Socorro Perales, 45, an immigrant from the central Mexican state of Zacatecas and a public servant in Texas. "Mexico can and should do a lot more to develop that potential into reality." (EDITORS: BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM) Nancy Guerrero, 38, a former institute member who contributes to the Spanish-language magazine "La Revista," urged Calderon to address the issue of trade as a vehicle to create more jobs in Mexico and the United States. "The jobs are here, as are the opportunities," she said. "But we need the Mexican government to support us." Guerrero also said the Calderon administration needs to continue lobbying for immigration reform because "we need to come out of the shadows. There are many people who are going deeper underground," given what Guerrero called the "anti-immigrant mood in the country. We're being hit hard in Farmers Branch and Irving. We won't always be welcome here, so we need Mexico to have big companies invest in this region so we can have more economic opportunities." Farmers Branch last year passed an ordinance being challenged in the courts that essentially prohibits illegal immigrants from renting apartments in the city. And Irving has been aggressively involved in the government's Criminal Alien Program, turning more than 2,000 immigrants over to immigration authorities. (EDITORS: END OPTIONAL TRIM) In a joint news conference earlier Tuesday at the North American summit, Calderon, President Bush and Prime Minister Harper all rejected Democrats' demands that the North American Free Trade Agreement be renegotiated, saying that the move would undercut economic growth in each nation. "Now is not the time to renegotiate NAFTA or to walk away from NAFTA," Bush said. "I'm concerned about protectionism in America." NAFTA and a pending trade accord between the U.S. and Colombia captured much of their attention, stoked by criticism of the trade accords by the U.S. presidential candidates. Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton say that NAFTA should be reworked or scrapped, and Congress should reject a pending accord with Colombia. Harper and Calderon said Congress should approve the pending free-trade agreement with Colombia. "I do worry if the Colombian free-trade agreement is rejected," Harper said. Rejection "could create long-term security problems" in Latin America, he added. The Institute of Mexicans Abroad was created in 2003 to identify and analyze problems, challenges and opportunities within Mexican communities abroad. Traditionally, Mexican immigrants have often had a rocky relationship with the government, but that began to improve with the arrival of democracy in 2000. The IME is part of Mexico's Foreign Ministry. Among other activities, the institute offers educational scholarships, Internet schooling and health care referrals through Mexican consulates in the United States. The meeting of the IME's advisory board in Dallas is only the second time the group has met outside of Mexico. The group's biggest challenge this year will be in dealing with a broad crackdown against illegal immigrants and, in some cases, restrictive measures aimed at legal immigrants. In addition, various committees will take up such issues as health care, education and border security. (EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE) In a meeting with President Bush in New Orleans Monday, Calderon lauded the contributions of Mexican immigrants in that city and elsewhere, saying that families of Mexican origin contribute hundreds of billions of dollars annually to the U.S. economy. "The U.S. and Mexican economy complement one another," Calderon said. "And that explains immigration, an economic phenomenon between two neighboring economies. And for that reason we need to create an integral vision on the issue of migration _ one that will permit us to jointly construct a more prosperous and secure North America." Nationwide, Mexicans make up 5 percent of the U.S workforce; in Texas, that number is estimated at 10 percent. The Dallas region now has a larger population of Mexican immigrants than the Houston area. The Dallas-Fort Worth area had about 607,000 persons classified as Mexican foreign-born in 2006, compared with 577,000 for the Houston area, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. ___ (Al Dia staff writer Alejandro Martinez contributed to this report.) ___ (c) 2008, The Dallas Morning News. Visit The Dallas Morning News on the World Wide Web at http://www.dallasnews.com/ Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. _____ PHOTOS (from MCT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. Copyright ? 2008 The Dallas Morning News |