VZCZCXRO6908
PP RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHME #2637/01 1362259
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 162259Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0854
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MEXICO 002637 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MX
SUBJECT: WAITING FOR THE WHOLE ENCHILADA: MEXICO REACTION 
TO PRESIDENT BUSH'S IMMIGRATION SPEECH FOCUSED ON 
"MILITARIZATION" AND FOX FAILURES 
 
 
Summary 
 
¶1. (SBU) Fox administration officials responded immediately 
to President Bush's 5/15 speech by stressing there was no 
"militarization" of the border, the shared responsibility for 
border security, and their concern over the lack of 
legislative progress on migration.  Mexican commentators 
focused primarily on the perceived "militarization" of the 
border area and President Fox's failure to negotiate a 
comprehensive migration accord.  Analysts noted the 
characterization of migrants as "illegal," questioned whether 
the National Guard deployments would be temporary, and 
equated National Guard with military forces.   Most 
highlighted that President Bush's decisions marked a double 
failure for the Fox Administration -- it had failed to reach 
a migration accord with the U.S. and it had failed to 
maintain security along the border.  While most reasoned 
voices did note that migration reform was linked to border 
control, they struggled against the prevalent desire to score 
political points against Fox on this issue. End Summary. 
 
Setting the Stage 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  A series of U.S.-Mexico consultations 5/12-5/13 
culminated in a conversation between the two presidents which 
allowed President Fox to tell media he had expressed Mexican 
concerns to President Bush about militarization of the 
border, and had been assured that this was not the intent. 
The Ambassador followed with a press statement early 5/15 
urging Mexicans to watch the speech for themselves, stressing 
the support role the National Guard might be  called upon to 
play, and reiterating the strong cooperation between the U.S. 
and Mexico.  The statement noted that migration reform was 
contingent upon a sense among Americans that the border was 
controlled and American laws were being respected.  PAS and 
POL followed up with outreach -- which continues -- to key 
commentators, political leaders and the presidential 
campaigns.  We are encouraging contacts to understand that 
border security enhancements directly impact the legislative 
process, pointing out that the Fox Administration is savvy 
enough to position itself now to benefit from eventual 
passage of immigration reform. 
 
Official Reactions 
 
¶3. (U)  After the speech Fox administration officials sought 
-- mostly successfully -- to hew to a common line.  An SRE 
communique issued 5/15 expressed appreciation for the 
President's recognition of the role migrants play in the U.S. 
economy and his commitment to comprehensive migration reform. 
 It stressed that the GOM has been assured the U.S. measures 
do not constitute militarization of the border.  The GOM 
remained concerned that these measures were being taken 
absent corresponding progress in the legislative process. 
Finally, the GOM would redouble its efforts to protect the 
rights of Mexicans living in the U.S.  Presidential 
spokesperson Ruben Aguilar recapped many of these points, 
noted the GOM's concern over President Bush's decision to 
send six thousand National Guard soldiers to the border but 
acknowledged that it was a sovereign decision.  Aguilar 
reiterated that the Fox administration has expressed its 
position on numerous occasions, including Fox's 5/14 
telephone conversation with President Bush, that the 
migration problem can only be resolved through cooperation 
and not from a strictly law enforcement or judicial 
perspective. Foreign Secretary Luis Derbez and Undersecretary 
for North American Affairs Geronimo Gutierrez both repeatedly 
stated that the GOM had received assurances that the 
deployment did not constitute a militarization of the border 
and that the real concern is that this deployment is not 
accompanied by sufficient advances on immigration reform in 
the United States Congress. 
 
Congress Circles the Wagons 
 
¶4. (U) A handful of senators and federal deputies from the 
Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the Democratic 
Revolutionary Party (PRD) used the speech as an opportunity 
to criticize the Fox administration.  Senators Humberto Roque 
(PRI) and Raymundo Cardenas (PRD) (both running for election 
as federal deputies in 2006) chastised Fox for "accepting the 
militarization of the border instead of the promise of 
migration reform."  Two federal deputies from the same 
parties condemned the decision to bring in the National Guard 
and affirmed that the U.S. initiative represents the failure 
of Fox's migration policies and the end of any hopes for a 
bilateral migration accord.  Not all the reaction was 
negative, however, as National Action (PAN) Deputy Ivan 
Cortes stated his lone opinion that the deployment of 
National Guard forces to the border can be a positive move to 
 
MEXICO 00002637  002 OF 003 
 
 
break the impasse on migration reform in the U.S. Congress. 
 
Candidates Speak 
 
¶5. (U)  PAN presidential candidate Felipe Calderon was the 
first to react to President Bush's statements, commenting 
that the strategy to deploy troops was erroneous, that walls 
are not the solution, and that migrants are not a threat. 
His campaign followed up his initial statements with a more 
detailed reaction: expressing Calderon's understanding that 
President Bush will continue to seek a comprehensive reform 
while increasing security to appeal to those who believe more 
wall, sensors, and border patrol agents are necessary; that 
those same groups misunderstand the situation, raising the 
social and human costs to migrants while benefiting the 
criminals who take advantage of them; calling for a solution 
based on cooperation and mutual responsibility; and 
reiterating that walls are not a solution.  Calderon also 
added that as president he will make employment in Mexico a 
top priority and that his government will assume the 
responsibility to actively defend and promote the rights of 
migrants in the U.S. indiscriminate of their migratory status. 
 
¶6. (U)  Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), the PRD's 
presidential candidate, stated that the National Guard 
deployment, "is not the solution, it is not the alternative, 
but it is a shame for us," blaming the Fox administration for 
a lack of employment that forces people to emigrate.  AMLO 
suggested that the U.S. decision will only generate more 
friction, more violations of human rights, and mistreatment 
of migrants.  He called on the GOM to protest the decision 
and explained that such deployments would not happen under 
his presidency because he would make credible commitments on 
job creation that would convince the U.S. to adopt different 
measures. 
 
¶7. (U)  PRI presidential candidate Roberto Madrazo had the 
least to say about the issue, commenting simply that the 
militarization of the northern border was major evidence of 
Fox's foreign policy failures. 
 
Hot Off the Press 
 
¶8. (U)  Much like the candidates and politicians, the Mexican 
media, analysts, and opinion-makers focused on plans to 
deploy National Guard troops on the border.  They dwelled 
over the characterization of migrants as "illegal," and the 
apparent grouping of "undocumented" migrants with 
narcotraffickers and terrorists.  The media and analysts were 
also skeptical of reports that the Guard will assume 
"logistical and administrative duties," and that their 
deployment is strictly temporary.  They have been critical of 
the Fox administration as well, complaining about its failure 
to confront the U.S. over the deployment and its inability to 
control crime along the border.  An editorial published in 
Mexico City's leading daily, El Universal, blasted the GOM by 
equating the President's speech with a "complete breakdown of 
Mexico's migratory policy."  The analysis generally 
epitomized the Mexican fixation on migration entitlement 
combined with the political spin of campaign season.  A 
handful of commentators -- many reached by the Ambassador or 
PAS staff Monday  --  acknowledged that border control was 
linked in the U.S. to migration reform, and that Mexico must 
take the sweet with the sour.  Quoting the Ambassador, 
Televisa's Adela Micha noted that "the United States is 
beefing up its efforts to make the border more secure," and 
that "President Bush is responsible for guaranteeing the 
security of the American people."  Commentator Joaquin 
Lopez-Dorriga cited Ambassador Garza's concern about the 
"millions of people who live and work illegally in the U.S.," 
and his opinion that, "Congress will not seriously consider 
any legislation addressing their presence unless we can make 
our borders more secure." 
 
Comment 
 
¶9. (SBU)  Post appreciates the effort by Washington agencies 
to brief key GOM officials on the points in the speech, an 
effort which allowed the Fox Administration to develop a 
consistent and constructive  position.  Post efforts to 
explain the complicated linkage between security and 
migration, begun almost a year ago and intensified on Monday, 
clearly paid off with some commentators.  We will continue to 
reach out to media and the political campaigns.  But in a 
vicious and close-run electoral season it is too much to 
expect that the presidential contenders won't try to create 
an opportunity to criticize Fox's policies, and thus trim the 
sails of front-runner Calderon. 
 
 
 
MEXICO 00002637  003 OF 003 
 
 
Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity 
 
GARZA