Desert Invasion - U.S.ArticleMexican officials take blame on aliensBy Stephen Dinan, Washington Times, June 14, 2005 http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20050614-121304-4045r.htm Mexican lawmakers told their American counterparts this weekend that Mexico has not done enough to stop the flow of illegal aliens across the U.S.-Mexico border, particularly non-Mexicans who first illegally cross Mexico's southern border. "For the first time, the Mexicans really acknowledge this is a two-way problem and has to be dealt with on both sides of the border, and I've never really heard them say that before," Rep. Jim Kolbe, Arizona Republican, said yesterday after returning from a weekend meeting of the Mexico-United States Interparliamentary Group. American lawmakers are increasingly concerned about the flow of OTMs, or "other than Mexicans" in Border Patrol terminology, being captured by the U.S. Border Patrol after they have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. Officials say many of those OTMs have first illegally crossed Mexico's 750-mile southern border with Guatemala and Belize. "What I heard was a concession or an admission they are not yet able to [control that border], which is hardly surprising because it's just a fact of life," said Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican, who along with Mr. Kolbe led the U.S. delegation of three senators and 10 House members that met in Rhode Island this weekend with 17 members of Mexico's Congress.... A spokesman for Carlos de Icaza, the Mexican ambassador to the U.S. who attended the meeting in Rhode Island, said the ambassador had no comment on the matter.... Mexicans made up about 70 percent of the illegal-alien population in the United States in 2000, according to government figures.... This article is based in part on wire service reports.Read the complete article. |