The Mexican government on Wednesday criticized Arizona voters' passage of Proposition 200, calling it a measure "that encourages acts of discrimination based on ethnic profiling." The initiative, which was backed by conservative groups and requires Arizona residents to show identification cards to vote and receive social services, was passed Tuesday.
"The Mexican government regrets passage of this proposal and states its outright rejection of what is a measure designed to promote discrimination based on ethnic profiling and limit access to basic educational and health services," the statement said.
The Foreign Relations Secretariat (SRE) said the measure "in no way contributes to addressing the challenges posed by migration between Mexico and Arizona."
"Numerous U.S. government authorities at the federal, state and local levels have stated their opposition to the measure," the SRE added in a statement, noting that Proposition 200 will be subject to administrative and legal review that may temporarily or permanently impede its implementation.
An estimated 10 million Mexicans live in the United States, around half of them undocumented, and a half-million illegal entries are recorded every year.
