Calderon to Congress: Pass Immigration Reform

(CBS/AP)  Mexican President Felipe Calderon addressed a joint session of Congress Thursday, pressing lawmakers to reinstate an expired assault weapons ban and pass comprehensive immigration reform while also hailing the strength of the U.S.-Mexican relationship.

In the first address to Congress by a foreign national leader this year, Calderon said that the two countries must cooperate to improve security along the often-violent border and to control the flow of immigrants into the U.S.

Calderon said a spike in violence in Mexico coincided with the expiration of the assault weapons ban in the U.S. in 2004.

"There is one issue where Mexico needs your cooperation, and that is stopping the flow of assault weapons and other deadly arms across the border," he said, adding that he respects and admires the U.S. Constitution - including the Second Amendment, but that "Many of these guns are not going to honest American hands. Instead, thousands are ending up in the hands of criminals."

Calderon focused on cementing U.S. support for Mexico, heralding the fiscal and social reforms of his presidency and his administration's tough crackdown on the Mexican drug trade.

At one point he boasted that "Thanks to strong regulations, not one cent from taxpayers went to a single bank in Mexico last year," receiving widespread applause from lawmakers who have soured on the 2008 bank bailouts in the U.S.

Calderon Applause Line: No Bank Bailouts in My Country

He saved the most contentious issue for last.

Calderon said that "I'm not a president that likes to see Mexicans leave our country searching for opportunities abroad," and that Mexico will continue to fight to provide its citizens good jobs at home.

"But what we need today is to fix a broken and unefficient system," he said. "I am convinced that a comprehensive immigration reform is crucial."

The Mexican leader found an ally at the White House. President Barack Obama is pressing lawmakers to take up legislation that would deal with border security, employment and citizenship. He faces a harder sell in Congress, where many are leery of taking up the sensitive issue of immigration in an election year.

Calderon received his longest round of applause when he spoke in Spanish, addressing Mexican migrants in the U.S. and telling them that Mexico admires them, misses them, and is fighting hard for their rights and their families.

Calderon also won sustained applause when he said, "I strongly disagree with the recently adopted law in Arizona. It is a law that not only ignores a reality that cannot be erased by decree, but also introduced a terrible idea using racial profiling for law enforcement."

[animaltoo]

Obama and Pelosi are as arrogant and imperious as Cheney ever dreamed of being. Only they want to give our country away. They will load our doctors' offices up with so many welfare Latinos that it will look like a free clinic in Juarez except American taxpayers will be paying for their visit.

[vdp101]

Arizona?s Immigration Bill is causing a lot of controversy right now, but do you know why the good people of Arizona are standing behind this legislation putting themselves at risk from boycott?s and other economic setbacks set forth by other states. Check out this little video we put together. The people of Arizona have had enough, and this is why.

http://digg.com/d31RgRX

[cryonq]

Get ready to be bombarded with pitiful, sad poor illegal Mexican stories. Beware the "immigration Reform Bill" especially since Calderon wants it. That fact alone should tell you it will be full of loopholes and every Mexican Advocate, Governor, and illegal will get exactly what they want. After all, we can't separate all those millions of babies we paid for, from illegal momita and poppy. Every weak politician who needs votes in 2012, will be composing that Bill like never before. They can't send any established Mexican back, it will mean Mexico won't get their money when they retire back home in Mexico to live like Kings. They can't send all the educated college graduates back until they glom onto our best jobs, so they can send money back to gramy and grampy to boost Calderons economy. Sob,sob, see cute baby, 2nd grader, whose mommy has no papers and wonderful Michelle give them amnesty. Oh. Gag, wife power working.

[animaltoo]

Oh yes, the superior posturing of the Mexican pygmy and Obama's cowtowing to the President of an invading nation is sickening. If the little runt was honest, he would say, "Please keep the millions of unwanted, welfare class people. Please keep them while they send much needed money back to take care of the other unwanted, welfare family members that the Mexican citizens have no intention of providing for. Let the stupid, liberal American gringos take our millions of unwanted native Mexicans. Fair skinned, Eurpoean-decent Mexicans rule!"

[cleric60]

Calderon received his longest round of applause when he spoke in Spanish, addressing Mexican migrants in the U.S. and telling them that Mexico admires them, misses them, and is fighting hard for their rights and their families.
REMEMBER THE ALAMO!

[underdogus2009]

REMEMBER VIET-NAM!!!

[texas_liberal]

yes remember it, that was some cano-whoop-ass

[marcm1]

Wow. Is none of the border problems Mexicos fault? It could not have anything to do with Mexico turning a blind eye to all the drugs and illegals flooding into our contry from his? Obama tells this clown as for immigration reform this will be a difficult time politically to get something done?
So does that mean he is siding with Mexico against his own country?

But of course it flows with what the Assistant Secratrary of State is saying in China.
In yet another example of the federal government spinning out of control, Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner, in a human rights discussion with the Chinese, brought up the new Arizona illegal alien law as an example of an example of American "discrimination." Posner saying he discussed the law "early and often" with Chinese officials, even though they didn't even initiate the conversation.

So let me get this straight. Hillary Clinton's State Department is trying to convince China to close its political concentration camps, to stop incarcerating dissidents, and to cease brutalizing the people of Tibet, and in the course of that discussion, Hillary's guy says, "Oh, yeah, we're pretty bad too?look at Arizona!"

Is this bizarro world or what?

The Arizona law will not even take effect until the end of July, but already the USA is violating human rights. The law simply says that authorities in Arizona can question people about their nationality if they are already involved in a police matter.

But if you listen to NBC News, you'd never know that. No, the liberal media is telling the world that Arizona law enforcement officers will be dragging Hispanics out of Kmart. Be careful walking your dog in Phoenix?you could wind up in handcuffs.

Now, I expect this kind of stuff from the dishonest, ideological press, but from an assistant secretary of state? That takes the issue to another level. So, what's really going on?

Well, it's ideology again. Michael Posner is a committed left-wing zealot who joined the State Department in September 2009. Before that, he founded an organization called "Human Rights First," which is generously funded by radical left-wing billionaire George Soros. HRF is a very lively group. In 2005 it joined with the ACLU in trying to sue former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for torturing people. Posner's group opposes the PATRIOT Act, Rendition, all coerced interrogation, and Guantanamo Bay.

Also, in 2005, Posner made a speech comparing the treatment of American Muslims to Japanese-Americans rounded up during World War II. If this guy isn't a left wing loon, nobody is. So, what on earth is he doing in the State Department, negotiating with the Chinese?

[tuathadedannan]

Calderon is Mexican? How can that be? He looks nothing like the Mexicans that come to the US for work. Come to think of it most Mexican businessmen look nothing like the Mexicans coming here for a better life. In fact they look nothing like the people on the Mexican soap operas- have you noticed the high propensity of blondes on those shows? This couldn't be the result of some kind of caste system could it? No, that is impossible. Only northern Europeans do such things.

[FreeSpeechandPress]

From the CBS article .....

Calderon also won sustained applause when he said, "I strongly disagree with the recently adopted law in Arizona. It is a law that not only ignores a reality that cannot be erased by decree, but also introduced a terrible idea using racial profiling for law enforcement."

I doubt the Mexican president has actually even read Arizona's SB1070 .... I think his "racial profiling" comment was probably fed to him by someone from within the Obama administration.

You can find out more about Arizona's SB1070 @ http://www.cis.org/announcement/AZ-immigration-SB1070

"The new Arizona law mirrors federal law, which already requires aliens (non-citizens) to register and carry their documents with them (8 USC 1304(e) and 8 USC 1306(a)). The new Arizona law simply states that violating federal immigration law is now a state crime as well. Because illegal immigrants are by definition in violation of federal immigration laws, they can now be arrested by local law enforcement in Arizona"

I wonder if Obama/Calderon know the Arizona law is actually based on the U.S. federal law? .... if above is correct.

Do they know - "The law only allows police to ask about immigration status in the normal course of -lawful contact- with a person, such as a traffic stop or if they have committed a crime.

[cysusa]

Mexico is infamous for their treatment of people they arrest. Many of their officers expect to get bribes - especially if you look like you might have money. It's insane that their president would make any comments about the AZ law and it's even worse that our government seems to agree. They stood and applauded?!? I have never been so angry or ashamed of my leaders as I am now. Washington should take a good long look at Mexico's treatment of illegal immigrants before they run down AZ. Oh, and first things first - they need to read the law!

[texas_liberal]

Mexico should just legalize all drugs, make respectable businessmen out of the cartels and let the flow of drugs quintuple into the U.S.