Mexico Envoy Calls on U.S. to Protect Rights Of Illegals

Mexican Ambassador Carlos de Icaza yesterday said millions of Mexican nationals now illegally in the United States are hard-working residents who take jobs Americans refuse, but their rights are “completely unprotected” and the White House and Congress need to find a solution.

“It is up to the American public to be concerned about the rights of these people as human beings,” Mr. de Icaza said during a meeting with editors and reporters at The Washington Times. “They contribute to the U.S. economy, work hard on a daily basis, but live in the shadows completely unprotected,” he said. “We need to find a constructive way to regulate immigration control, a process that addresses the economic, security, political and social needs of both countries.”

Mr. de Icaza said his government was “encouraged” by a temporary guest-worker program proposed in January by President Bush and “welcomed” the national debate on immigration reform the president had begun. “While I believe migration is a shared responsibility and Mexico wants to be a part of the solution, not just the problem, as an ambassador I am respectful of the fact that it is up to the American Congress and the president to decide how to best protect the rights of the immigrants already in the United States,” he said.

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