200,000 Protest In LA

[Hefer]

LAPD estimates 200,000 at protest; Bush faces wedge issue for party


LOS ANGELES - Tens of thousands of demonstrators protested moves to impose stricter U.S. immigration laws in California on Saturday, while President Bush urged wary Republicans to take up his proposal.

The Los Angeles Police Department told NBC News that an estimated 200,000 protesters clogged the streets in front of Los Angeles city hall to protest a proposed law they see as punitive to undocumented workers.
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/060325/060325_immigration_vlrg_12p.widec.jpg
Full Story (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11442705/)

[WUOrevolt]

Pretty Amazing, since I live on the east coast, I'll look for something in New York coming up.

[Guerrilla22]

Yeah its in response to an upcoming senate vote on a bill that would make it a felony to be in the us without a visa or citizenship, meaning jail time for immigrants. Power to the people.

[Janus]

More concerning this story

BBC News

Ten of thousands of activists have been rallying in Los Angeles in the US state of California to protest against plans to criminalise undocumented workers.
Organiser Javier Rodriguez said demonstrators wanted a immigration system that was humane and not racist.
The House of Representatives has passed a bill that would make it a felony for immigrants to be in the US illegally.
The Senate is set to discuss the bill on Tuesday. President George Bush has proposed a guest-worker plan.
He is proposing to allow foreigners to remain in the US for a set period of time to carry out specific jobs, but his Republican Party is divided over the issue.
The president this week urged all sides of the debate to tone down their rhetoric.
He said securing borders was a top priority but he also invoked the country's history as "a nation of immigrants" to argue for a balanced approach.
'Free world'
The new bill would also impose new penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants and allow for the erecting of fences along a third of the US-Mexican border.
The proposals have angered many Hispanic-Americans, a key voting bloc in November's mid-term elections.
Mr Rodriguez, of the March 25 Coalition, said he wanted to stop "the approval of anti-immigrant reforms" and demand "migration reform that is humane and fair, and not racist".
Protester Lionel Vanegas told the Reuters news agency that the bill was wrong "because this is a country for everybody who wants to live a better life and this is a free world".
It is estimated that 11.5 million people are living in the US illegally. Many of them work in the agricultural sector and the construction and service industries.
The debate on the issue has intensified in the past week, with protests against the bill on Friday in the cities of Milwaukee and Phoenix.
On the other side of the debate, supporters of tighter border controls are planning to take to the streets of Washington and Boston on Monday.

[BattleOfTheCowshed]

Originally posted by [email protected] 25 2006, 11:24 PM
Pretty Amazing, since I live on the east coast, I'll look for something in New York coming up.
THIS SUNDAY! TOMORROW! WASHINGTON HEIGHTS! There is going to be one of these protests in NYC tomorrow! See my thread in 'Events and Propaganda'! Please come out!

[Janus]

This march has drawn 500,000 people.

AP

LOS ANGELES - Immigration rights advocates more than 500,000 strong marched in downtown Los Angeles, demanding that Congress abandon attempts to make helping illegal immigrants a crime and to build more walls along the border.

The massive demonstration, one of half dozen around the nation in recent days, came as President Bush prodded Republican congressional leaders to give some illegal immigrants a chance to work legally in the U.S. under certain conditions.

Saturday's march in Los Angeles was the largest in a series of demonstrations across the country. Police Cmdr. Louis Gray Jr. said aerial helicopters estimated the crowd.

Many marchers wore white shirts to symbolize peace and waved U.S. flags. Some carried the flags of Mexico and other countries, and wore them as capes.

Elger Aloy, 26, of Riverside, a premed student, pushed a stroller with his 8-month-old son at Saturday's Los Angeles march and called the legislation "inhumane."

"Everybody deserves the right to a better life," he said.

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation that would make it a felony to be in the U.S. illegally, impose new penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants and erect fences along one-third of the U.S.-Mexican border.

The Senate is to begin debating the proposals on Tuesday.

President Bush on Saturday called for legislation that does not force America to choose between being a welcoming society and a lawful one.

"America is a nation of immigrants, and we're also a nation of laws," Bush said in his weekly radio address about the emotional immigration issue that has driven a wedge into his party.

Bush sides with business leaders who want legislation to let some of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants stay in the country and work for a set period of time. Others, including Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, say national security concerns should drive immigration reform.

"They say we are criminals. We are not criminals," said Salvador Hernandez, 43, of Los Angeles, a resident alien who came to the United States illegally from El Salvador 14 years ago and worked as truck driver, painter and day laborer.

Francisco Flores, 27, a wood flooring installer from Santa Clarita who is a former illegal immigrant, said, "We want to work legally, so we can pay our taxes and support the country, our country."

In Denver, police said over 50,000 people gathered downtown at Civic Center Park next to the Capitol to urge the state Senate to reject a resolution supporting a ballot issue that would deny many government services to illegal immigrants in Colorado.

Elsa Rodriguez, 30, a trained pilot who came to Colorado in 1999 from Mexico to look for work, said she just wants to be considered equal.

"We're like the ancestors who started this country, they came from other countries without documents, too," the Arvada resident. "They call us lazy and dirty, but we just want to come to work. If you see, we have families, too."

On Friday, tens of thousands of people were estimated to have joined in rallies in cities including Los Angeles, Phoenix and Atlanta and staged school walkouts, marches and work stoppages.

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

Pretty Amazing, since I live on the east coast, I'll look for something in New York coming up.

Yeah like BofCS said, there's one in the Heights tommorow (165 @ Audubon) @ 1pm. Members of the NY branch of the FPM will be there.

[ChemicalBrother]

About Time.


These people have been taken advantage of for decades and now they want to consider making it a felony to associate with them?

I don't get it.

[Eleutherios]

Originally posted by [email protected] 26 2006, 06:07 AM
About Time.


These people have been taken advantage of for decades and now they want to consider making it a felony to associate with them?

I don't get it.
Wait. They don't want illegal immigrants in America...so they're locking up the illegal immigrants in American cages and feeding them with American tax dollars?

[Barry Kade]

Astounded to see such a level of popular mobilisation and resistance in the USA! Over here in Europe we never hear the truth of what the movement on the other side of the Atlantic is doing. Brilliant and inspiring stuff ! I'm so pleased I discovered this site! Encore! Keep it up and keep posting!

[Hefer]

About Time.


These people have been taken advantage of for decades and now they want to consider making it a felony to associate with them?

I don't get it.

They are called criminals, what is so threating from starving people who work and take nothing from the system. Not one politican from either party came out to the rally or offered their support. Which tells you we works have to take matters into our own hands. Well atleast we can marvel at the wonders of the capitalist system which just uses people like animals.

If the bill passes expected to see a national boycott by students and workers, and then you'll see where the strenght of the American economy lies; in the hands of works!!!. fruits and veggies and other goods produced by immigrants will no doubt skyrocket.

[Enragé]

CNN said 500.000!

:D

(they sure as hell aint gonna say there were more than there were ;) )

[rebelworker]

Latest LAPD estimate, done by helecopter surveillance puts the demo at over 500,000.
Some mainstream sources are now quoting closer to 1 million.

The demo was 4 blocks wide(not long), that is 4 blocks marching parralel to each other.

Mexicans gonna take their land back if uncle sam aint careful.

[Enragé]

Originally posted by [email protected] 27 2006, 02:18 PM
Latest LAPD estimate, done by helecopter surveillance puts the demo at over 500,000.
Some mainstream sources are now quoting closer to 1 million.

The demo was 4 blocks wide(not long), that is 4 blocks marching parralel to each other.

Mexicans gonna take their land back if uncle sam aint careful.
well i guess its a million then

police estimates are always way lower

[overthrowthebeast726]

There are walkouts everywhere...if this thing is passed, they will see how much they need us, because when we're gone, who's going to do the work? They are treating us like animals, and now we're doing something about it!

[Tekun]

It was an amazing turnout!
The unity and strength of the ppl is really coming out
500,000 in LA from Latin Amreica and other countries
I would of been there, had it not been for my college final on Saturday morning :angry:
However, some friends were there and they held it down for me


Two things that bothered however, were the amount of flags (mexican, US, guatemalan...) and the amount of priests/pastors

First, the flags piss me off kuz its the govs of these countries that are creating this situation, so why rep them?
But then I remind myself, that they don't see the whole picture

Second, the amount of priests that were their pissed me off
I mean, I don't make it my goal to target religion
But this isn't a religious movement, its a human movement to end the criminalization of our ppl
So why try to incorporate an entity that hasn't done anything for ppl?
Oh well, its not like I'm gonna change their opinion
But let's keep it secular

[Severian]

Originally posted by [email protected] 26 2006, 02:03 AM
Wait. They don't want illegal immigrants in America...so they're locking up the illegal immigrants in American cages and feeding them with American tax dollars?
Of course they are not going to prosecute 11 million people on felony charges. And they do want and need immigrant labor.

But it would be another weapons for selective prosecution - another club to hold over the heads of immigrant workers, and try to force them to accept their second-class status and lower wages.

Probably the Sensenbrenner bill will not become law in its present form. But it serves to push the whole debate within bourgeois politics to the right...all the different bills and proposals, including the Kennedy-McCain bill, all would serve to reinforce the second-class, rightless status of immigrant workers. Including with their "guest worker" proposal.

These protests push in the opposite direction - "no human being is illegal" and "no worker is a criminal." The mobilization of hundreds of thousands of immigrant workers to be a conscious factor in events, not just spectators waiting for Congress to determine their fate - even some guy on NPR noticed the last.

[OkaCrisis]

Originally posted by sennomulo+Mar 26 2006, 03:03 AM--> (sennomulo @ Mar 26 2006, 03:03 AM)
[email protected] 26 2006, 06:07 AM
About Time.


These people have been taken advantage of for decades and now they want to consider making it a felony to associate with them?

I don't get it.
Wait. They don't want illegal immigrants in America...so they're locking up the illegal immigrants in American cages and feeding them with American tax dollars?[/b]
Prison.

Industrial.

Complex.

:ph34r:

Feed the machine.

[Floyce White]

Shows what happens when liberals push the button. I liked the part where the march security linked arms to prevent kids from splashing in a fountain. Real low level of consciousness--they saw the protestors as something to be policed and controlled. You would have never seen that in Washington.

The largest anti-war protests in 2003 were 35 to 50 thousand. For someone like me who spent years organizing very tiny events just to keep any kind of "mass" action movements going, the anti-war rallies were vindication.

Saturday's rally was about 10 times bigger. I am no longer surprised by the scale of protest. Even in this movement, school walkouts have been happening from time to time since Prop. 187. What needs done now is to increase the level of activity among these new working-class protestors, so they don't just wave Mexican flags when capitalists pass them out.

rebelworker: "Mexicans gonna take their land back if uncle sam aint careful."

That's a nationalist comment--even a racist comment. Only the bourgeoisie of Mexico are "Mexican." Working-class people have no nationality. I'm not a Mexican or an American, but I was born in LA, and I've lived most of my life in California. You really should criticize yourself for this "ours" and "theirs" divisiveness.

[Jimmie Higgins]

It is really inspireing and people are also making the connections to other issues like the war. THe first US soldier killed in Iraq was latino and many immigrents were promised citizenship for fighting in Iraq.

On the other hand the ruling class is kind of split between the ideological hard-line (minutmen no-immigration types) and the ones who realize the role of immigration but still want to have a bracero program (Bush and the Democrats). It's great that people in this new movement are expressing demands much to the left of the Democrats!

We need to start talking about what we would need to do to actually try and make amnisty happen... walk-outs are a good start. Getting labor to break from the Democrats and push for unionization for immigrents and amnesty would also be good! Shutting down a few major cities in the US would be fantastic!

This movement has the possibility of producing this headline: US General Strike '06!

[Enragé]

:lol:

that'd be great


Really you can see all across the world the movement is growing! Now ofcourse those 500.000 werent commies and anarchists...but the general ideas are there, the solidarity, the taking to the streets. radicalisation isnt that far away when you have these things.

And also look at france, look at the previous anti-G8 demo's. The movement is growing! Look at the EZLN doing good things, Chavez, the dude in bolivia (damn forgot his name ;) ) etc

:)

[pandora]

"White House shake-up — chief of staff resigns" (AP, 3/37/06)

"White House chief of staff Andrew Card has resigned and will be replaced by budget director Joshua Bolten" seems some of the more moderate Republicans can't stomach the

Bush said, “The next three years will demand much of those who serve our country. We have a global war to fight and win.”

Looks like they're getting rid of the softies who have lost faith and want to get out while the gettings good.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12048598/?GT1=7850

Get ready for some real Facisim.

[Guerrilla22]

Yesterday a bunch of students shutdown part of the LA freeway, hopefully this sends a message to to Washington.

[Tekun]

Originally posted by [email protected] 28 2006, 04:30 PM
Yesterday a bunch of students shutdown part of the LA freeway, hopefully this sends a message to to Washington.
Yeah I saw

IMO not very smart, it only puts them and the ppl on the freeway in danger
It makes a statement, but not a politically conscious one

Instead of the freeway, they should rushed city hall or the LAPD
That would of made a bigger statement IMO of course

[Ultra-Violence]

Commrades i was there saturday and let me tell u that DAMM! so many people omg i never been to a demonstration that big in my life! also for the most part it was real peacefull and lots of kids with there parents were present. good times!

alos about the walkouts the have been going on for 2 days now today being the second day. let me tell you its was so exciting to rush through the front doors and we hooked up with other schools and marched to city hall were the mayor gave a speech. kids were even blocking freeways and stoping whole sections of the city. this has to be like the greatest week in my life! any ways thats how things are in l.a as about now let you know if anything else happens :D
:hammer:

[Janus]

Congress is set to debate a new immigration bill that would toughen immigration laws.


Originally posted by BBC News
The full US Senate is due to debate a controversial immigration reform bill that would toughen laws dealing with illegal immigrants.
Demonstrations have been held over plans within the bill to criminalise illegal workers.

President George W Bush has called for a "civil and dignified" debate.

The bill - passed by the House of Representatives in December - has been attacked by both conservatives and pro-immigrant groups.

In its first step to full legislation, the proposal was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday.

But the panel voted down proposed criminal penalties on immigrants found to be in the country.

It decided instead to legalise them and ultimately to grant them citizenship - provided that they hold jobs, pass criminal checks, learn English and pay fines and back taxes.

The Judiciary Committee also voted in favour of President Bush's plans to create a guest-worker scheme allowing foreigners to stay for a set time in specific jobs.

Any legislation that passes the Senate will have to be reconciled with the bill passed by the House of Representatives.

The bill includes the use of troops and police to halt migrants and tighter employment controls, as well as the creation of a 1,130-km (700-mile) fence on the Mexican border.

Protests

The Republican Party has been divided over the guest-worker scheme.

Swearing in new US citizens at the naturalisation event in Washington, Mr Bush said that securing borders was a top priority but he also invoked the country's history as "a nation of immigrants" to argue for a balanced approach.

He argued that a guest-worker programme would provide a legal way of matching immigrant workers with employers, giving them jobs that Americans did not want.

Meanwhile, activists opposed to tougher immigration laws took to the streets again on Monday, with protests held in a number of cities, including one outside the Capitol building in Washington.

About half a million people rallied in Los Angeles, California, at the weekend.

The proposals have angered many Hispanic-Americans, a key voting bloc in November's mid-term elections.

It is estimated that 11.5 million people are living in the US illegally.

Many of them work in the agricultural sector and the construction and service industries.

[Floyce White]

Tekun, trust me, it's not really that dangerous to walk out onto a freeway in LA. Most of the inner-city freeways are narrow and congested, and the drivers are very experienced and are used to watching for obstructions because they have to drive a lot.

[OkaCrisis]

Originally posted by [email protected] 28 2006, 01:34 AM
This movement has the possibility of producing this headline: US General Strike '06!
I really like this idea.

If there's a group of people who's plight epitomizes all that is wrong with capitalism, it's immigrants who are forced out of impoverished countries (often a result of Western imperialism), only to be denied rights and citizenship in "developed nations".

Recent immigrants and visible minorities

(and I include them because despite being in a country for generations, visible minorities are equally likely to be persecuted/discriminated against, as recent immigrants are, and the country that a person immigrates from and their percieved 'race' has much to do with how 'successful' an immigrant will be, despite the length of time since 'settlement'. So, I include them because presumably many of the black and hispanic protestors are not recent immigrants, but not only support their struggle, but also experience the effects of racism)

are the most likely segments of the population to be unemployed or underemployed, in prison, and to face restrictions in access to services, especially to education (among countless other denials of their basic rights).

Immigrants are unable to live securely in the countries that they immigrate to (often because they are seen as economic "lands of opportunity", or due to disasterous conditions in thier native countries), because when they get here, they are legally not allowed to "produce" for their society!

When immigrants arrive in new countries, they are often denied their degrees, and their expertise, and are forced to do menial and unskilled labour, which are often the only jobs that they can get without citizenship and 'proper training'.

The point of all this is that perhaps these contemporary People's movement against labour law reforms (that will continue to become more restrictive as capitalism continues to break down) that are discriminatory against minorities, immigrants, youth, and other oppressed and exploited groups that will finally unify the people against bosses, bankers, lanlords, politicians...

So, the point is ACTUALLY that it will be a worker's movement... which isn't original at all! :lol:

But instead of being started by regular run-of-the mill workers or students, it will be characterised by the uprising of racially oppressed workers (immigrants and migrant workers as a key part of this group) around the world...

So.

Do you think that these recent movements have potential to raise class-consciouness among vast sections of the population, since so many people are affected by these issues (directly, and indirectly) across all sections of society?

Race Riots in France --> French General Strike
Immigrant/Racial protests in the US --> ?

[FatFreeMilk]

Originally posted by [email protected] 28 2006, 09:53 PM
[QUOTE=Gravedigger,Mar 28 2006, 01:34 AM]


So.

Do you think that these recent movements have potential to raise class-consciouness among vast sections of the population, since so many people are affected by these issues (directly, and indirectly) across all sections of society?


Nope. This whole thing isn't gonna last that long. The potenital for this proposal to pass is not very likely . Look at all the people who have demonstrated at just a proposal. It's only a taste of what's to come if a law is actually passed, which will probably not happen. By next month everybody will have forgotten about this, or not be very concerned about the threat.

It was nice to see people rally together, however. Lots of people walked out of my school today. I didn't think it was gonna be very effective but my bro says he was interviewed by the paper and went on air for a radio station. Which concerns me only beacause I really hope he knows what he's talking about, which I seriously doubt. I hope some of the ignorant people who left today didn't take the opportunity to stand by the street yelling "brown pride!" "viva mexico" and other sayings that prove nothing and only make them look like fools. We'll see. I know for fact that the majority of people who left didn't know why they were leaving. I'm ranting now.

[Jimmie Higgins]

You can't expect people to suddenly develop revolutionary class consiousness overnight. The civil rights movement began with some very moderate demands by some liberals and churches but this step was necissary before there could be groups like the black panthers.

One thing that may work in favor of a large radical movement developing out of this is relatively high class and radical consiousnes (or at least familiarity) among recent immigrents to the US from Central America... people who have a living memory of the fight against right-wing regimes in Latin America as well as people who might be familiar and intrested in the struggles against neo-liberalism going on in South America now.

Furthermore, because the mainstream has framed immigration as a "problem" to be delt with, rather than workers who come for jobs - the movement is not likely to be sucked up into the Democratic party to shrivel up and die. This will allow the movement to make more radical demands. No doubt some local Democrats will see which way the wind is blowing and start talking more left on this issue, but I don't see a National Democrat having a platform which seeks to connect with undocumented workers - they would much rather aim for the conservative voters who would not allow the democrats to hold such a position.

[Severian]

LA Times article: "How DJs put 500,000 in motion" (http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-me-march28mar28,0,5639747.story?coll=la-home-headlines)

It's not just about the role of the radio DJs - has some other stuff about how this was organized.

[pandora]

Student walk-outs all over the country, students are corresponding independently using cell phones and my space accounts. Students were originally going to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday, but with assistance from other organizations it started earlier.

Many students especially in California are the children of immigrant parents, the children are afraid to be left here without their parents if this goes it to effect it will be a massive facist crackdown on illegal immigrants.

There is a reported 3 million children who are born in the United States whose parents are undocumented citizents.

It will make the children who aid their familes

One million people have now demonstrated in Los Angeles. Arizona has seen the highest number of demonstrations in its history but there is little or no white media coverage.

Teachers have put students on lock down to stop the students, but they had to open the gates because there were too many students.

Students went to government offices to protest the law. The students say it is about human rights. Their parents have struggled so much to be here, they can not allow them to be forced out of the country.

Latino communities say that this is repression against brown colored people, this is reverse repression, because the brown people were in this country first before the white people came.

It is reported that there will be massive demonstrations and teach-ins on Friday for Cesar Chavez's birthday, a famous farm activist for Chicanos in the United States.

Teach in!

[Jimmie Higgins]

Teach in on Friday, National Day of action April 10th, General strike for immigrent rights on May 1st!

[Ultra-Violence]

Student walk-outs all over the country, students are corresponding independently using cell phones and my space accounts. Students were originally going to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday, but with assistance from other organizations it started earlier.

Many students especially in California are the children of immigrant parents, the children are afraid to be left here without their parents if this goes it to effect it will be a massive facist crackdown on illegal immigrants.

There is a reported 3 million children who are born in the United States whose parents are undocumented citizents.

It will make the children who aid their familes

One million people have now demonstrated in Los Angeles. Arizona has seen the highest number of demonstrations in its history but there is little or no white media coverage.

Teachers have put students on lock down to stop the students, but they had to open the gates because there were too many students.

Students went to government offices to protest the law. The students say it is about human rights. Their parents have struggled so much to be here, they can not allow them to be forced out of the country.
Latino communities say that this is repression against brown colored people, this is reverse repression, because the brown people were in this country first before the white people came.

It is reported that there will be massive demonstrations and teach-ins on Friday for Cesar Chavez's birthday, a famous farm activist for Chicanos in the United States.

Teach in!


This is all true and more there will be another mass demostration somtime in april 10 or 9th and there will be more walkouts from sudents(one tommorow) Also some students and teachers are organizing a letter service were students are going to right letters to their congressman or woman telling them why HR4437 is worng etc....... And on May 1 *tear there will be a massive Boycott were all Latinos And Meztizos will not buy not one single product for the entire day

Im so serious u guys i never have seen this mouch political action in my life usaully its me and like 2 of my freinds who went to an immigrants rights protest a month ago and thier were only about 500 People no joke. Now theres 300 million people nation wide protesting on the behalf of immigrants rights its reall amazing.I have no clue what this really means for America and its future but im exited to see what will happen in the coming weeks. This is no joke this is bigger than the civil rights movment.

The only thing that really pisses me of is the dam media :angry: . They are trying everything possible to demonize My people. For example one story on Fox was:Students Carrying The Mexcan Flag? Is it Hurting there cause?. the went on for like an hour about how if they love mexico so much why the come here and all that jazz. But what they dont show is tha in these Demonstrations is that immigrants are carrying both flags if not more american flags. Also i hate Lou Dobs Hes been bashing Immigration for some time now but i think hes taking it too far. He's saying hes looking out for THE WORKING CLASS OF AMERICA! what a bunch of bull shit. But this Shoul'nt be of any surprise.

In Conclusion This thing is huge and no joke


Race Riots in France --> French General Strike
Immigrant/Racial protests in the US --> ?

:hammer:

[Janus]

Here's the latest info. concerning the summit in Mexico which has placed major emphasis on the immigration debate.


Originally posted by BBC News
US President George W Bush has said he supports immigration to the US from Mexico and Central America, so long as it is orderly.
Mr Bush was speaking during talks with his Mexican counterpart, Vicente Fox, at the start of a two-day summit in Cancun, also involving Canada.

Mr Bush said he was not in favour of allowing illegal immigrants to be put on a fast-track to US citizenship.

But he promised to try to push through legislation on a work-permit system.

"I told the president that I am committed to having a comprehensive immigration bill on my desk," he said.

"And by comprehensive, I mean not only border security - a bill that has border security in it, a bill that has interior enforcement in it, but a bill that has a worker permit programme in it.

"And that's an important part of having a border that works."

Mr Bush did not give a timetable for reform, which faces what he called a cumbersome process in the US Congress, where hardline conservatives are strongly opposed to it.

'Safe border needed'

Mr Fox, meanwhile, said Mexico and Central America had a role to play in tackling illegal immigration.

"We want a safe border. We want it for the good of our people and also for our relationship with the United States," he said.

However, he ruled out any possibility that Mexico would try to prevent migrants from crossing the border.
"We can't infringe upon the right of people to move freely within our territory," Mr Fox said.

Mr Bush's proposed reforms would allow illegal immigrants to register for legal status and eventually for US citizenship.

His opponents in the House of Representatives have approved a bill making unapproved US entry a crime along with plans to build a fence along the Mexican border to keep immigrants out.

The measure touched off mass protests in US cities and now the Senate is working on a possible compromise that would reinforce border security while allowing work visas and eventual residency for some immigrants.

In other developments at the summit:


Mr Fox said he was preparing to extradite at least 24 drug traffickers to the US

Mr Bush said he would resume negotiation with Canada on softwood lumber import tariffs

Mr Bush is also expected try to address Canada's concerns over an American plan to require Canadians to show passports and not merely driver's licences when they cross the border

All three leaders wish to repair relationships strained by the US invasion of Iraq - a decision both Mexico and Canada opposed.

[Coggeh]

Wow ..this really suprises me , im currently living in Europe ,Ireland to be specific and i never hear of whats really going on in the US which leads me to believe that people their are just ignorant and dont care about whats really going on ...not anymore tho ..keep it up lads ..HASTA LE VICTORIA SIEMPRE