Mexican president criticizes Ariz. law

May 21, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Mexican President Felipe Calderon took his opposition to a new Arizona immigration law to Congress on Thursday, saying it “ignores a reality that cannot be erased by decree.”

Calderon’s comments on the Arizona law and his request that Congress do something about the availability of high-powered weapons along the border drew criticism from several lawmakers saying he was interfering in U.S. internal matters.

The Mexican leader also told lawmakers reluctant to take up the immigration issue this year that comprehensive immigration reform is crucial to securing the two countries’ common border.

Calderon, the first foreign national leader to address Congress this year, said he strongly disagrees with the Arizona law that requires police to question people about their immigration status if there’s reason to suspect they are in the country illegally.

“It is a law that not only ignores a reality that cannot be erased by decree but also introduces a terrible idea using racial profiling as a basis for law enforcement,” he said to cheers, mainly from the Democratic side of the chamber.

Speaking in English, he warned of the risk when “core values we all care about are breached.”

Arizona’s senior Republican senator, John McCain was not present at the joint meeting, and the office of Jon Kyl, the other Arizona senator, did not respond immediately to inquiries about whether Kyl was present. McCain attended a lunch with Calderon at the State Department on Wednesday.

McCain issued a statement that it was “unfortunate and disappointing the president of Mexico chose to criticize the state of Arizona by weighing in on a U.S. domestic-policy issue during a trip that was meant to reaffirm the unique relationship between our two countries.”

And broaching another highly sensitive issue, Calderon urged Congress to restore a ban on assault weapons, saying easy access to high-powered weapons is contributing to drug-related violence along the border.

Calderon also took up the Arizona law in a meeting Wednesday with President Barack Obama, who referred to the law as a “misdirected expression of frustration.”

The Mexican leader said his country was doing its best, by promoting more jobs and opportunities at home, to reduce the flow of immigrants to the United States.

But he stressed the “need to fix a broken and inefficient system. ... The time has come to reduce the causes of migration and to turn this phenomenon into a legal, ordered and secure flow of workers and visitors.”