- Tonight, growing, intensifying controversy over the Mexican
government's publication of that guidebook we reported to you on Monday.
The guidebook produced by the Mexican government is filled with tips for
illegal aliens to enter this country safely and, of course, illegally.
-
- Now some say the book could stall White House plans for
its proposed guest worker program and accelerate immigration reform. Casey
Wian reports from Los Angeles.
-
- (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
-
- CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Mexican
Migrant Guide may be just a how-to comic book, but it's quickly becomes
a real life drama for the governments of Mexico and the United States.
The Mexican government published guide offers border crossing tips to illegal
aliens.
-
- RICK OLTMAN, PED. FOR AMERICAN IMMIGRATION REFORM: It
sort of tipped everybody off as to what the Mexican government's real intention
is, and that is to continue to push people north, to assist them coming
across the border.
-
- WIAN: With a growing number of critics saying the book
encourages illegal immigration, the link to the guide disappeared this
morning from the Mexican foreign ministry's Web site.
-
- (on camera): We called the Mexican embassy to ask if
the guide had been removed, because of mounting political pressure. Within
a half hour of our call, the guide was back up.
-
- Later, a Mexican embassy spokesman claimed the guide
had never been removed and that it was part of a group of five rotating
icons.
-
- (voice-over): However, a web master who tried to link
to the guide disputes that saying he encountered an error message indicate
the guide had been removed. The Arizona Republic wrote in an editorial
"with this books, Mexican President Vicente Fox has unwittingly produced
a powerful tool to undermine efforts by President Bush to win congressional
support for a guest worker program." It added, "the booklet raises
serious doubts about whether Mexico will ever help curb illegal immigration."
-
- Meanwhile, Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo wants the
White House, so far silent on the guide, to launch a form protest with
the Mexican government.
-
- REP. TOM TANCREDO, (R) COLORADO: I don't know who's the
bigger dummy here, because frankly it is just simply outrageous. You know,
you can use that word over and over again, but that's what they keep doing
to us. This is not the action of a friendly government.
-
- WIAN: Tancredo is considering using a bill that would
cut U.S. aid to Mexico by the amount it receives from its citizen living
here, about $15 billion last year.
-
- (END VIDEOTAPE)
-
- WIAN: Congressman Tancredo says he's going to try to
distribute the Mexican Migrants Guide to every member of Congress in an
effort to dissuade lawmakers from supporting the president's guest worker
program -- Lou.
-
- DOBBS: And to just button this up, Casey, no word, no
mention, no statement at all from the U.S. State Department, any part of
the federal government, nor the White House?
-
- WIAN: Absolutely no word from the bush administration,
any part of the Bush administration so far, and we've been calling them
since Monday, Lou.
-
- DOBBS: Casey Wian, thank you, reporting from Los Angeles.
-
-
- *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S.
C. Section 107,
- any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under
fair use
- without profit or payment to those who have expressed
a prior interest
- in receiving the included information for nonprofit research
and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
]
|
