Statements
Statement Concerning Governor Bill Richardson's Latin American Policy Address
Posted: Friday, October 26, 2007
"We would like to first thank all of our neighboring Governors for their prayers and the help they have provided to our state in this time of crisis.
"Missing from Gov. Richardson's statement for 'A New Partnership With Latin America' was the progress President Bush has made with our Latin American neighbors - the trade partnerships to help promote economic development and independence.
"For a major policy address, Gov. Richardson's statement was thin on substance. In discussing US immigration policy and the consequences of changes to it, there also needs to be an understanding about the implications of unimpeded immigration on the home countries of those who come here illegally. Gov. Richardson fails to address this issue at all, a significant oversight for a regional policy which pivots around a theme of engagement - with the region's governments presumably.
"If the demise of a political regime can occur from the creation of factions within a political structure, exogenous shocks, and/or through a popular mobilization from within a country, there is logically no incentive for governments to halt illegal immigration to the US. Through the exportation of over 12 million of its citizens, countries like Mexico have been able to avoid the call for economic and social change domestically. While foreign leaders come to the United States to hold community rallies and support the liberalization of US immigration policy, they also fail to enact solutions that promote economic development that would keep families together in their own home country.
"Gov. Richardson still has a long way before he can be considered an expert in what policies should be implemented in Latin America. And though Richardson might think differently, his ability to speak Spanish does not relate materially to his foreign policy knowledge or skills as a diplomat any more than mine relates to knowledge of quantum physics."
Hector M. Barajas
Communications Director, California Republican Party
Governor Bill Richardson Latin American Address
http://www.richardsonforpresident.com/newsroom/pressreleases?id=0335
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