Mexico criticizes Georgia's newly approved anti-immigrant law

Here's a good story of Mexico once again trying to interfere in our internal politics

IOAN GRILLO
Associated Press

MEXICO CITY - The Mexican government slammed a newly approved immigrant enforcement law in the U.S. state of Georgia, saying the legislation discriminates against Mexicans while failing to resolve the migration issue.
Ruben Aguilar, the spokesman for President Vicente Fox, told a news conference Tuesday that Mexican consular officials will closely watch the application of the law, which gives Georgia some of the toughest measures against illegal immigrants in the United States.
"The referred legislation incurs discriminatory acts against the Mexican population and those of Mexican origin," Aguilar said. "It is a partial measure that fails to resolve the complex phenomenon of immigration between Mexico and the United States in an integral manner."
The law requires verification of the legal status of people seeking many state-administered benefits. It sanctions employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants and mandates that companies with state contracts check the immigration status of employees.
It also requires police to check the immigration status of people they arrest.
Georgia Gov. Sunny Perdue signed the bill Monday, after protests for and against it, and a daylong work stoppage by thousands of immigrants.
"I want to make this clear: we are not, Georgia's government is not, and this bill is not, anti-immigrant," Perdue said at the signing in Atlanta. "We simply believe that everyone who lives in our state needs to abide by our laws."
The Georgia move comes as lawmakers in Washington wrestle with competing proposals to strengthen security on the southern border, create a guest worker program and allow a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the United States.
Since he came to power in 2000, Fox has lobbied relentlessly for a U.S. immigration reform that would allow more Mexicans to work legally in the United States.
However, the Mexican government has discouraged consular officials from any involvement in a wave of demonstrations in favor of reform that have swept U.S. cities during the last month.
Furthermore, Aguilar announced Tuesday that Mexican consular officials have been prohibited from taking part in a one-day walkout planned by migrant activists in the United States for May 1. They also cannot in a simultaneous boycott of U.S. goods being organized by activists south of the border.