September 6, 2001
The three-day State Visit of Mexican President Vicente Fox to the United States celebrates the special friendship and authentic partnership that has been achieved by new leadership in the United States and Mexico.
This first State Visit of the Bush Administration highlights the mutual trust and respect between our two Presidents and governments. It also testifies to the unequaled priority both Presidents attach to a practical and cooperative approach to the common opportunities and challenges we face as the well-being and prosperity of our peoples becomes increasingly intertwined in our shared North American community. This results-- oriented approach, and the commitment to shared responsibility and partnership undergirding it, are already generating unprecedented levels of cooperation throughout our rich and diverse relationship.
With trade and investment between the United States and Mexico at record levels, the Presidents took stock of the success of NAFTA in bringing economic growth and development, and with it higher wages, more jobs, and lower prices for our citizens. They stressed the need to abide by the provisions of our free trade agreement and agreed to the importance of vigorous measures to ensure that the full benefits of economic development and trade are extended to all regions of Mexico.
To serve urgent environmental priorities in the border area, the Presidents agreed that immediate measures were needed to strengthen the performance of the North American Development Bank (NADBank), and its sister Border Environmental Cooperation Commission (BECC), to identify and fund environmental infrastructure projects on the border. Presidents Bush and Fox agreed that a binational working group-- which will consult with national legislatures, border states, communities, and other stakeholders-will develop joint recommendations and report back to the Presidents by October 31, 2001.
The Presidents praised the success of efforts to heighten cooperation on legal issues as a major step toward enhancing the rule of law and protecting public safety. They highlighted growing cooperation against migrant smuggling and other organized trans-- border crime, including a new agreement signed September 5, 2001, on sharing forfeited assets seized as a result of joint investigations. They praised in particular the growing trust between our law enforcement agencies that is making it possible to broaden the scope of cooperation in this area. Presidents Bush and Fox also expressed their support for new and more effective national and multilateral measures to increase international cooperation against drug trafficking. Specifically, they expressed support for the Organization of American State's "Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism" as a promising example of such measures. In this regard, President Bush reiterated his Administration's commitment to work with the U.S. Congress, on a priority basis, to replace the annual counter-narcotics certification regime with new measures designed to enhance international cooperation in this area.
These and other areas of bilateral engagement were highlighted in an historic joint meeting of the U.S. and Mexican Cabinets on September 5. That session enabled the Cabinet-level chairpersons of our Binational Commission, streamlined and reinvigorated following the Presidents' meeting in Guanajuato, Mexico in February 2001, to report on the specific steps achieved since then to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
Their reports testified to the breadth of our relationship and to the progress we are achieving in countless areas that directly benefit the quality of life of our people. Examples of other items covered in the reports include:
* measures to improve safety and protect lives along our shared border;
* means of facilitating better coordination on border issues;
* a new agreement on food safety;
* steps to enhance cooperation on renewable and more efficient energy resources and cross-border interconnections;
* a major new scholarship program ($50 million) focused primarily on economic development disciplines; and
* regional cooperation to strengthen democracy and prosperity in the Western Hemisphere.
President Bush and President Fox also had a frank discussion about water resources and the importance of living up to our mutual treaty obligations in this regard. They agreed that in the future this could be well served by greater cooperation aimed at more effective watershed management and improved infrastructure, including formation of a joint advisory council.
The Presidents reviewed the progress made by our joint working group on migration chaired by Secretaries Powell, Castaneda, and Creel and Attorney General Ashcroft and noted this represented the most fruitful and frank dialogue we have ever had on a subject so important to both nations. They praised implementation of the border safety initiative, and recognized that migration-related issues are deeply felt by our publics and vital to our prosperity, well-- being, and the kind of societies we want to build.
They renewed their commitment to forging new and realistic approaches to migration to ensure it is safe, orderly, legal and dignified, and agreed on the framework within which this ongoing effort is based. This includes: matching willing workers with willing employers; serving the social and economic needs of both countries; respecting the human dignity of all migrants, regardless of their status; recognizing the contribution migrants make to enriching both societies; shared responsibility for ensuring migration takes place through safe and legal channels. Both stressed their commitment to continue our discussions, instructing the high-level working group to reach mutually satisfactory results on border safety, a temporary worker program and the status of undocumented Mexicans in the United States. They requested that the working group provide them proposals with respect to these issues as soon as possible. The Presidents recognized that this is an extraordinarily challenging area of public policy, and that it is critical to address the issue in a timely manner and with appropriate thoroughness and depth.
To help address some of the root causes of migration, they agreed to form a public-- private alliance to spur private sector growth throughout Mexico. This "Partnership for Prosperity" initiative will harness the power of free markets to boost the social and economic well-being of citizens particularly in regions where economic growth has lagged and fueled migration. The development of this alliance will be spearheaded by senior-level coordinators on both sides, and will draw on the best expertise among Mexican and U.S. economists, business people and civil society to develop a concrete plan of action to be presented to the Presidents not later than March 1, 2002.
The Presidents expressed their strong support for the launch of a new round of trade negotiations in November at the WTO ministerial.
Both Presidents agreed that U.S.-Mexican relations have entered their most promising moment in history. Our governments are committed to seizing the opportunities before us in this new atmosphere of mutual trust. The depth, quality and candor of our dialogue is unprecedented. It reflects the democratic values we share and our commitment to move forward boldly as we deepen this authentic partnership of neighbors.
--I'm pretty sure that this is not the most promising moment in history. President Bush made these statements the week before September 11, 2001. Maybe we used to have good relations with Mexico, but in the last 8 years things have gotten out of hand. More people in America are more outspoken about their fears and prejudices against Latinos than they ever have been before. People are jumping on the criticism bandwagon and accusing immigrants of destroying our economy and driving down our wages. But Latinos are discriminated against more than anyone else in our society, including legal immigrants. America has always been a racist place, and now that we've finally gotten over most of our problems with black inequality, we have shifted our hate to Hispanics. Why? Because they are an easy target. Anti-immigrationists always say that immigrants need to learn English before they can be here. And meanwhile, they verbally assault Spanish speakers because they can't retaliate for themselves. And if any of them tries to speak up too loudly in protest of anti-immigration rhetoric, they will live in fear of deportation or even threats on their lives or property. And after all, they didn't earn any civil rights back in the 60's. So why not pick on them? It's easy, and more importantly, no American can defend Hispanic immigrants either without looking like some kind of anti-American, or a terrorist sympathizer who wants to open all the borders. So obviously, no politician who cares about his career is going to have any sympathy for Hispanics, because it just isn't the popular thing to do. If you want to win votes you promise people what they want to hear, even if the masses are wrong. That's why we keep hearing politicians from all parties echoing the hateful cries to abolish Spanish and to throw the children of illegal immigrants out of public schools. America is not hospitable to immigrants from anywhere unless they act like us and dress like us and talk like us. Americans are afraid of other cultures. We are a nation of tourists. We are interested in new people or traditions for about a week before we feel like our own customs are clearly superior, and then we feel threatened and return home. The Hispanics have had their week, and now American sentiment is turning hateful, and sometimes violent. It's wrong. Hispanics living in America need respect, regardless of legal immigration status. They earned human rights when they were born. We don't have to pay for their entire lives here, but too many Americans talk about using the army or other violent means to deport millions of immigrants once and for all. They might be joking, but if enough people talk about it, they might just convince themselves that it's the right thing to do. We don't have to talk about destroying people just to "preserve sovereignty." That seems to be a powerful phrase now in the movement against immigration. We "sacrifice sovereignty" every time someone new enters our country. It just isn't all true. We sent soldiers to the middle east under the pretext of giving people a better life. Conservatives still support that cause, and yet they are the loudest in the struggle to make their racist voices heard above the rest. Why can't we support that same cause within our own borders? Iraqis aren't American citizens either, but we are paying the ultimate price for their happiness aren't we? Why can't we support the same cause inside our borders? The problem is fear. Americans can't stand living with or near people that they can't understand. Americans are bad neighbors, that's all it is. Grow up, America.
