Mexican Officials Upset Over US Border Security Plan

Officials in Mexico are upset by plans by the United States to spend tens of billions of dollars for additional fencing and other security along the U.S.-Mexico border.

"Mexico is convinced that our public policies should be coordinated and should recognize the importance of the border for competitiveness, job creation, and the social well-being of both countries," Mexican Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Meade said.

"We are convinced that fences don't unite. They are not the solution to the immigration phenomenon and they don't jibe with a modern and secure border," said the foreign minister. "They don't contribute to the development of the competitive region that both countries seek to promote."

Last week, a Senate committee earmarked $46 billion to double the U.S. Border Patrol and to build 700 more miles of anti-immigrant fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border, reports GlobalPost.com.

The influx of Mexican immigrants has plummeted in recent years with new fencing and the U.S. economic downturn. The U.S. Border Patrol detained about 1.6 million undocumented immigrants in 2000 and just over 260,000 last year, the website says.

Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin said on Tuesday that the Senate's border security amendment should help immigration reform pass in the House.


Gov. Jan Brewer of Arizona — known for her own tough immigration policies — also praised the border surge amendment, claiming it as a "victory" for her state.