Last week President Vicente Fox offered his support for Bush’s proposal that could begin to resolve America’s immigration situation.  Mexico’s Foreign Secretary suggested to the press that Mexico would lobby members of the US Congress to ensure the Bush plan is approved quickly.

Fox told the press that the Bush plan would help the millions of undocumented Mexicans currently living and working in the United States obtain legal status and proper documentation.  He did make it clear, however, that he favors open borders across North America, but not amnesty for Mexican citizens living illegally in the United States.  Fox said the program announced by President Bush would not encourage aliens to remain in the United States because they love their home country.

Fox said undocumented immigrants would rather temporarily earn a living in the United States and safely visit their families back in Mexico on a regular basis than become US citizens.  He agrees with Bush that there should not be a blanket amnesty that would make most undocumented immigrants eligible to apply for residency in the United States. 

What excited Fox the most, he said, is that the proposal would allow millions of current undocumented workers to come home to see their families in Mexico without having to risk their lives to sneak back into the United States.  Fox said he intends for Mexico to work closely with Bush and do all it can to help this proposal become a reality. 

Currently, there are as many as 8 million Mexicans believed to be living illegally in the United States.  Mexican immigrants send home an estimated $13 billion per year.