MEXICO CITY: Mexico on Friday criticized a bill approved a day earlier by the US Republican legislators that would tighten immigration policy and restart work on a southwestern border wall.
The Mexico’s foreign minister accused the backers of the bill of peddling racism against Mexicans. The United States House of Representatives Thursday approved the legislation requiring asylum seekers to apply for the US protection outside the country. It would also resume work on the wall promoted by former US president Donald Trump. Democrats, however, have indicated they could block the bill in the Senate, which they control.
The package, intended to stop drugs and migrants crossing the border with Mexico, was passed as COVID-19-era US border restrictions were going to expire.
Mexico’s foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard said the migrant flows in Mexico were coming down amid rising detentions on the border in the run-up to the expiry on Thursday night of the US policy known as Title 42.
Country’s foreign minister slammed the US bill, saying it and other Republican-led efforts, such as pinning blame on Mexico for the supply of deadly opioid fentanyl, were quite “unacceptable” adding it would lead to a “crisis” between the two close trade partners.
Ebrard, speaking at a press conference with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the legislation was meant for political point scoring. Both US and Mexico hold presidential elections in 2024, and Lopez Obrador has again urged the voters in the US not to vote for Republicans who, according to him, insult Mexicans.
“What’s the cement behind these ideas, the people who believe in this?” Ebrard said. “Racism against Mexicans, and against all Spanish-speakers in general.”
President Obrador and foreign minister Ebrard both singled out US Republican Senator John Kennedy, who during a Senate hearing this week said: “Without the people of America, Mexico, figuratively speaking, would be eating cat food out of a can and living in a tent”. Kennedy made his comments as he criticized United States and Mexican efforts to crack down on Mexico’s drug cartels.
