Calderon addresses California lawmakers
The Mexican president says he's working to stem immigration by improving conditions in his country. He visits Los Angeles later today.
SACRAMENTO -- In his first visit to California as president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon told the California Legislature today that immigration "carries off the best among us," and he vowed to create the economic conditions that would allow Mexicans to find well-paid work in their own country.
Calderon drew applause, particularly from Republican legislators, when he said, "While my government is committed to protecting the rights of all Mexicans, including those living beyond our borders, we are taking great efforts to ensure that in the future no Mexican needs to leave our country to find job opportunities elsewhere."
He also reminded legislators that Mexico was the main destination of California exports, and he cited the bracero program of the 1940s through the 1960s as a system that met both countries' needs.
"We need to make migration legal, safe and organized," said Calderon, who also met with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today.
The two signed an agreement to jointly fight climate change and discussed boosting trade, improving infrastructure and combating drug trafficking.
Sacramento is the first of five U.S. cities Calderon will visit; he will arrive in Los Angeles later today.
Assemblyman Doug La Malfa, a Republican rice farmer from Richvale, praised Calderon's address.
"I was excited he said the word 'bracero,' " said La Malfa. "It was a formal system of allowing people to come over with documentation. They don't have to hide in the shadows. . . . They don't have to go through the danger of crossing the border."
Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles) said Calderon wisely looks to a healthier Mexican economy, rather than border enforcement, to stem illegal immigration.
"Here's a president who's saying, 'Look, I don't want my people to go to the U.S., I want them to stay in Mexico,' " said Nunez, "which is why he's working on improving the pension system, which is why he's working on making sure he keeps inflation down in Mexico. These are factors that will greatly contribute to reducing illegal immigration."
nancy.vogel@latimes.com
