Mexico is trying to form a united front in Latin American against a US plan to build a fence along hundreds of miles of its southern border.
Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez said he had spoken to other countries in the region and that they would work together against the proposal. | Keep speaking, it only builds the case for the fence |
The US House of Representatives passed an immigration bill last week, backing the 1,130-km (700-mile) fence. The plan has been described by Mexican President Vicente Fox as "shameful". Mr Derbez said it would not just affect Mexicans, but also migrants from El Salvador to Brazil. | That's the whole point, ain't it? |
The Guatemalan President, Oscar Berger, has already condemned the proposal. On Wednesday, his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez described Mexico's stance as "dignified".
Correspondents say that every day an estimated 1,500 Latin Americans, mostly from Mexico, cross into the United States illegally. President George W Bush has said that border security "must adapt to the nation's changing needs".
The US bill - which the Senate is due to debate in February - also includes the use of troops and police to halt migrants, and tighter employment controls. Critics of the plan say some of the measures would be impossible to enforce and would push illegal immigrants further underground. | Then we'll just have to dig them out, won't we? |
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