More on Calderón and Arizona
Now this is wading into new waters--the Mexican government has filed a challenge to Arizona's immigration law, saying it is unconstitutional:
Citing "grave concerns," Mexico said its interest in having predictable, consistent relations with the United States shouldn't be frustrated by one U.S. state.
Mexico also said it has a legitimate interest in defending its citizens' rights and that the law would lead to racial profiling, hinder trade and tourism, and strain the countries' work on combatting drug trafficking and related violence.
"Mexican citizens will be afraid to visit Arizona for work or pleasure out of concern that they will be subject to unlawful police scrutiny and detention," the brief said.
It will be to a U.S. District Court judge to decide whether to accept the brief along with similar ones submitted by various U.S. organizations.
Governor Jan Brewer is mad and without providing specific examples argues that Mexico has expressed "false assertions and factual inaccuracies." Her main point seems to be that there will be no racial profiling so the Mexican government is lying.
This is an amicus curiae brief, so although the word "challenge" is being used, it is not a lawsuit. Instead, the Mexican government is just making sure that its side is legally heard, and ensuring it gets some press. That decision should be viewed primarily in terms of Mexican domestic politics. President Calderón can score a lot of points at home by standing up to the United States, and that is useful at time when the media is focused on the government's failures in the war against cartels. There will be a certain amount of backlash, as there was when he addressed the U.S. Congress last month. However, Calderón may figure there is not much more to lose--restrictionists can't really get any more mad.
2 comments:
The Arizona Republic : Jan Brewer : "the majority of Illegals are not coming here to work. They are coming here and they're bringing drugs. And they're doing drophouses and they're extorting people and they're terrorizing the families. That is the truth, That is the truth"
The Arizona Republic
What part of exaggeration doesn't Brewer understand ?
By E. J. Montini
June 24, 2010
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2010/06/24/20100624Montini0624.html
Some excerpts :
And I'm not sure she does. Particularly after what she said during the June 15 televised debate among Republican gubernatorial candidates, the debate that none of us watched because there was a basketball game on at the same time.
Luckily (Or is it unluckily?) I have friends with grown-up tendencies, and one of them suggested I check out the debate online. There is a curious exchange late in the program between Brewer and Matt Jette, one of the other candidates. Jette said of illegal immigrants, "These people, a lot of them, are just trying to feed their family . . . They just want to work."
Brewer immediately jumped in, saying, "We are a nation of laws. And they are coming across our border illegally. And the majority of them, in my opinion, and, I think, in the opinion of law enforcement, is that they are not coming here to work. They are coming here and they're bringing drugs. And they're doing drophouses and they're extorting people and they're terrorizing the families. That is the truth, Matt. That is the truth . . . "
The majority are not coming to work? The majority are drug-dealing extortionists?
Sadly, Arizona politicians have figured out that getting elected means convincing voters that they are tougher on immigration issues than the other guys. This leads to a little . . . exaggeration.
Raciality.com
Vicente Duque
An amicus brief is more restricted than an intervenor's position in that a "friend-of-the-court" cannot submit evidence or expand the legal issues framed by the parties. This limited role is clearly appropriate and Brewer is just still pandering to her base.
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