Mexico turns table on travel advisory, issues warning on trips to Arizona

We've grown accustomed to those travel warnings that the U.S. State Department issues every so often, advising U.S. citizens to "exercise extreme caution" when visiting parts of Mexico -- usually after some new shootout or gruesome slaying.

Now it's Mexico's turn to say: watch out. The Mexican government Tuesday issued its own travel warning, urging Mexican citizens to be careful in Arizona. The reason of course is the new tough immigration law that Gov. Jan Brewer signed last week and that requires people to carry proof of legal status or face arrest. Critics, including the Obama administration and immigrant advocates, say the law is discriminatory; Mexican President Felipe Calderon slammed the law as racist and hateful.

"As was clear during the [Arizona] legislative process, there is a negative political environment for migrant communities and for all Mexican visitors," the Mexican Foreign Relations Ministry said in its alert, posted in Spanish and English on the ministry's website.

Although details on how the law will be enforced remain unclear, the ministry said, "it must be assumed that every Mexican citizen may be harassed and questioned without further cause at any time."

The controversial law has refocused Washington's attention on possible immigration reform, The Times' Peter Nicholas writes:

 White House officials say the Arizona law underscores an untenable void in federal immigration policy. Without congressional action, they warn, Arizona and other states will create a patchwork of laws that don't resolve the core problem: how to strengthen the borders and deal with the 11 million people who are in the U.S. illegally.

A Times' editorial seems to agree and offers Arizona a backhanded thanks for accomplishing what so many others have failed to do: put immigration back at the top of the U.S. agenda.

 --Tracy Wilkinson in Mexico City

Photo: A demonstrator with U.S. and Mexican flags. Credit: Los Angeles Times

 

 

 

Comments

[Jackie Boo]

when will the Mexican government take responsibilty for its own citizens, and why does this administration stand with him and blast the state of Arizona for doing what it should have been doing all along. I am disgusted with this,
if the illegals would protest in their own country about the loss of jobs and un livable conditions and demand more ( like the came out in millions and protested on our land as if they had a right to do that) maybe their goverment would stand up, Mexico take a lesson from Egypt , don't leave DEMAND THAT YOUR GOVERNMENT DO ITS JOB ! Get rid of your President for applauding you having to leave , you should get him out of office and find a president who is willing to make some changes.

[Mlyn]

Great news! If US citizens would listen to our travel advisories to not go to Mexico due to the lack of safety we would be even.

Whenever possible I will be going to Arizona for vacations and am even thinking of selling my Big Bear place and replacing it with a vacation home in Flagstaff.

[Jason Chaney]

Illegal = Illegal..guess if you can read and understand that there wouldnt be a problem

[bill]

Can Calederon simply issue an advisory for all illegals to leave AZ and go back to Mexico, for good?

What a shame this president makes his own citizens so unhappy that they literally risk their lives in deserts to flee

[greg]

It worked!! they're not coming. Now, if all the states will adopt the same law, they will stay in their own country. Who will mow the grass, you ask? our fat and lazy kids.

[RWh]

What a joke. I imagine in the same warning, they will direct all their illegal crossers to go to the border with California since we seem to be less restrictive in our enforcement of the law. Oh, sorry, the PC term is undocumented crossers.

[Nathan Lee]

Ironic that Mexico shoots illegal Guatemalans crossing their southern border and protests the United States' enforcing it's own borders by asking for an ID.

[Juan Wayne]

This is the typical immature hypocritical response that you would expect from a corrupt unintelligent people.

Funny thing is that a Mexican is far more safe in Arizona than in any state in Mexico.

Mexicans are true morons unable to accept their intellectual inferiority.

[Martin]

My family took a trip to Arizona about 50 years ago. We decided to stay because of the wretched economic conditions in my home country.

This country is run by an elitist class, whom can afford to send their kids to Ivy League schools in the States, while the lower classes struggle to find meaningful employment to feed and support their families.

I have been treated better by what you consider to be racists, than I was treated by the rich Mexicans that control Mexico's government and economy.

The two main reason that you want easier entry to the USA for poor Mexican immigrants is so that they won't start a revolution and so that they can send US dollars back home to support their poor relatives.

Why don't you take responsibility for poverty in Mexico? It's the root cause of drug gangs, and will be the cause of another Mexican Revolution. Instead of acting as if almost 2 million Latinos are going to leave because of your asinine "travel advisory".

If you do, maybe I'll respect your advisory and possibly move back to Mexico! Which I would actually love to do!

[Ken]

I would like to recommend anyone thinking about vacationing in Mexico to change your plans and visit Costa Rica instead. It's only a few dollars more in airfare and is much cleaner and safer.
The food and WATER is clean and crime is very low, unlike nearly every vacation I have taken to Mexico.
The rain forests are amazing and the people are great and many speak at least some English and really seem to appreciate your patronage. What's not to like?
Take your valuable dollars to Costa Rica and send Calderon a message. You will not be disappointed.

[john]

Now if they could only put out an advisal not to come to California that would be great!

[Xman]

Maybe Mexican President Felipe Calderon is right, our immigration laws in Arizona are tough. Mexican President Felipe Calderon should come to the United States and introduce Mexico immigration laws to see what we are doing wrong. I am Hispanic and have been harassed and questioned all over the world, but as long as I have the documents that say I am to be there, then it's their problem. Arizona needs the support of all the states and then maybe the federal government will do something. Your 11 million is a bit off target and must be another one of those federal government numbers which is more like 20 to 25 million. I think it's time for a wake up call either the federal government does something or get out of the way. This would include all the money paid out to INS and ICE who has problems enforcing the laws of this land. Each year they have the opportunity to do their jobs simply by showing up at rallies or marches of illegals and yet they do nothing.

[Joe]

This is great!! It may stop the steady flow of illegals from entering AZ. This is just what Arizona wants to accomplish.

[Aaron]

Awesome, now we won't get as many illegals if they listen to their Mexican government.

[HonestObserver]

Oh, boo hoo. Whatever shall we do if the Mexicans quit coming to our country???? Good, we need to deport all illegals and then completely close all borders NOW!!!!

[melvin polatnick]

You racists cannot stop the Cha Cha. It is everywhere and it will soon be in your bedroom. Dancing in the streets means the Mexican border is coming down making Mexico the 51st state. Cuba is next. The smell of Taco is in the air and there is no fence big enough to stop the children of Montezuma from crossing over.

[D. Wilson]

Good for Mexico! I'm personally boycotting Arizona, so the more the merrier!

[Brittanicus]

If they build the original fence as originally designed by Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) Any person trying to creep into America would be caught between the two fences--in the no mans-land--where they would be arrested by the undermanned Border agents. Before they could even scale the--SECOND--fence, they would already be exhausted from scaling the first fence and the flying patrolling drones would pick them up immediately. It's one downright lie that the single line fence even covers half the distance, as its made up of vehicle barriers and ancient rusted barbed wire. Instead the so-called legislators paid millions of dollars for virtual equipment that is malfunctioning and probably received monetary kickbacks for the contracts..Politicians going back years have the deaths of Robert Kruntz, Rancher-US Border Patrol, Sheriff and deputies who have been murdered along the region. Those crummy idiots who we vote for a bunch of corrupt lawmakers are to blame for the carnage in Arizona and have blood on their hands. Get the facts--not lies and propaganda distributed by Liberals hiding under Democratic skirts. NUMBERSUSA

[Wilbur Valdera]

How typical of the mexican government to blame america for their problems. As for the ridiculous assertion that tourists will be stopped and harassed at any time, hey buddy, as long as they aren't standing outside of Lowe's looking for day labor work, they should be fine. By the way, can I now hang out in mexico without my passport and drivers license?

[Werner Strasser]

Because the US federal government refuses to enforce the immigration laws we let the problem fester? Arizona has taken the bull by its horns. The positive results are being realized already! The illegal aliens are being re-routed by the Mexican government to States that are more accepting to people in pursuit of criminal carriers.

Criminality means forging documents, evading taxation and stealing by collecting benefits paid for by the US citizens. We would end up in court or jail if we refuse to pay taxes, sign up for the mandatory health insurance or drive without ....? Not so for the illegals who have created their own underground economy outside the reach of the revenue departments, our police and most of our courts.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that hordes of illegal aliens are protesting frantically against the threat of loss of its privileged status and the attempts to expose their shadowy activities which will bring them into the light of the IRS.

Arizona is doing the right thing in forcing the federal government to put its inherently discriminatory and racists Immigration Reform Bill back at the top of the U.S. agenda to combat the influx of what government has named the Latino race.

[john]

Now if they could only issue the same directive for California, we might become the Golden State again.

[shawn T]

Where does Mexico have room to talk? Their police has the right to SHOOT illegals from Guatemala and Belize and other South American countries on the spot. Let alone jail, beat or torture..

[bruceben9]

i don't think arizonians are going to be bummed if the mexicans stay in mexico. interesting i haven't heard squat from the mexican govt. before telling the illegals not to cross the the border into AZ.

[bob]

If the national government doesnt handle the drug cartels (who control the Mexican government) soon, it's gonna have a very serious states rights problem to deal with as well.