The Foreign Relations Secretariat denounced Thursday a U.S. federal court decision allowing Arizona to implement Proposition 200, a ballot initiative approved in November that bans undocumented immigrants from receiving some public benefits. The ministry issued a statement expressing "its utmost concern because the involvement of state and local authorities in immigration matters leads to violations of our compatriots' rights."
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge David C. Bury lifted his own Nov. 30 injunction against enforcement of Proposition 200, which was approved by Arizona voters on Nov. 2.
"The Foreign Relations Secretariat reiterates its complete rejection of this reform that constitutes a measure fostering discriminatory actions based on an ethnic profile and which can generate an adverse climate for the Mexican community established in that state," said Thursday's communique.
Mexico's government is apparently most worried about a provision in Proposition 200 threatening prison and fines for state and local public employees in Arizona who fail to report undocumented immigrants attempting to sign up for certain benefits or services.
The secretariat said it had instructed its Consulates in Phoenix, Nogales, Tucson, Douglas and Yuma, Arizona, to do everything they can to protect the rights of Mexicans in those localities.
Officials calculate that nearly half of the estimated 10 million Mexicans living in the United States are undocumented, while the number of people who were born north of the border to Mexican parents is 26.6 million.
Mexicans working abroad mainly in the United States sent home a record US13.8 billion in remittances during the first 10 months of this year, up 23.3 percent over the same period in 2003. More than 1.4 million households in Mexico depend on that money to meet their dayto-day expenses.
