Mexico bans non-natives from jobs.....

[Real American]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060521/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/mexico_limiting_immigrants_1


Mexico Works to Bar Non-Natives From Jobs By MARK STEVENSON, Associated Press Writer
Sun May 21, 12:12 PM ET
 


MEXICO CITY - If     Arnold Schwarzenegger had migrated to Mexico instead of the United States, he couldn't be a governor. If Argentina native Sergio Villanueva, firefighter hero of the Sept. 11 attacks, had moved to Tecate instead of New York, he wouldn't have been allowed on the force.

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Even as Mexico presses the United States to grant unrestricted citizenship to millions of undocumented Mexican migrants, its officials at times calling U.S. policies "xenophobic," Mexico places daunting limitations on anyone born outside its territory.

In the United States, only two posts — the presidency and vice presidency — are reserved for the native born.

In Mexico, non-natives are banned from those and thousands of other jobs, even if they are legal, naturalized citizens.

Foreign-born Mexicans can't hold seats in either house of the congress. They're also banned from state legislatures, the Supreme Court and all governorships. Many states ban foreign-born Mexicans from spots on town councils. And Mexico's Constitution reserves almost all federal posts, and any position in the military and merchant marine, for "native-born Mexicans."

Recently the Mexican government has gone even further. Since at least 2003, it has encouraged cities to ban non-natives from such local jobs as firefighters, police and judges.

Mexico's Interior Department — which recommended the bans as part of "model" city statutes it distributed to local officials — could cite no basis for extending the bans to local posts.

After being contacted by The Associated Press about the issue, officials changed the wording in two statutes to delete the "native-born" requirements, although they said the modifications had nothing to do with AP's inquiries.

"These statutes have been under review for some time, and they have, or are about to be, changed," said an Interior Department official, who was not authorized to be quoted by name.

But because the "model" statues are fill-in-the-blanks guides for framing local legislation, many cities across Mexico have already enacted such bans. They have done so even though foreigners constitute a tiny percentage of the population and pose little threat to Mexico's job market.

The foreign-born make up just 0.5 percent of Mexico's 105 million people, compared with about 13 percent in the United States, which has a total population of 299 million. Mexico grants citizenship to about 3,000 people a year, compared to the U.S. average of almost a half million.

"There is a need for a little more openness, both at the policy level and in business affairs," said David Kim, president of the Mexico-Korea Association, which represents the estimated 20,000 South Koreans in Mexico, many of them naturalized citizens.

"The immigration laws are very difficult ... and they put obstacles in the way that make it more difficult to compete," Kim said, although most foreigners don't come to Mexico seeking government posts.

J. Michael Waller, of the Center for Security Policy in Washington, was more blunt. "If American policy-makers are looking for legal models on which to base new laws restricting immigration and expelling foreign lawbreakers, they have a handy guide: the Mexican constitution," he said in a recent article on immigration.

Some Mexicans agree their country needs to change.

"This country needs to be more open," said Francisco Hidalgo, a 50-year-old video producer. "In part to modernize itself, and in part because of the contribution these (foreign-born) people could make."

Others express a more common view, a distrust of foreigners that academics say is rooted in Mexico's history of foreign invasions and the loss of territory in the 1847-48 Mexican-American War.

Speaking of the hundreds of thousands of Central Americans who enter Mexico each year, chauffeur Arnulfo Hernandez, 57, said: "The ones who want to reach the United States, we should send them up there. But the ones who want to stay here, it's usually for bad reasons, because they want to steal or do drugs."

Some say progress is being made. Mexico's president no longer is required to be at least a second-generation native-born. That law was changed in 1999 to clear the way for candidates who have one foreign-born parent, like President     Vicente Fox, whose mother is from Spain.

But the pace of change is slow. The state of Baja California still requires candidates for the state legislature to prove both their parents were native born.

[Don Seer]

ahh the hypocrisy.. love it..

[Javier]

It's stupid what Fox is doing right now. 

[Real American]

It's stupid what Fox is doing right now. 

It isn't Fox's fault. Mexicans are just very racist and xenophobic. They could learn alot about openness from Americans.

[Javier]

I hope God helps you down the road, your mind is really fucked up.  You know little about the difference between the Mexican government and it's people. 

[dexter]

I hope God helps you down the road, your mind is really fucked up.  You know little about the difference between the Mexican government and it's people. 

LOL!

[Real American]

I hope God helps you down the road, your mind is really fucked up.  You know little about the difference between the Mexican government and it's people. 

How is my mind fucked up for condemning Mexican racism?

Obviously if Mexicans gave a fuck about their government's racist policies they would put pressure on it to chnge them. But they aren't because they probably agree with these policies. Mexicans need to learn to embrace diversity. And their governments needs to shut the fuck up and quit lecturing America.

[Javier]

I hope God helps you down the road, your mind is really fucked up.  You know little about the difference between the Mexican government and it's people. 

How is my mind fucked up for condemning Mexican racism?

Obviously if Mexicans gave a fuck about their government's racist policies they would put pressure on it to chnge them. But they aren't because they probably agree with these policies. Mexicans need to learn to embrace diversity. And their governments needs to shut the fuck up and quit lecturing America.

Most people aren't allowed to even voice their opinion.  You pretty much gotta be wealthy to be able to actually do something about it.  They also force people to vote for a candidate, if they don't do it they can lose their job.  If we want to get into detail about President Fox, his ass is gone in 3 months so anything he does is pretty much pointless and stupid. Mexico's stance on immigration has nothing to do with embracing diversity, if you complain about people calling the U.S's immigration policies racist then don't just turn your back and do the same.  And yes I know that  the US's immigration policies are more lenient than Mexico's

[J @ M @ L]

It's stupid what Fox is doing right now. 

It isn't Fox's fault. Mexicans are just very racist and xenophobic. They could learn alot about openness from Americans.

If only Mexicans were as welcoming and open-minded as you.

[M Dogg™]

It's stupid what Fox is doing right now. 

It isn't Fox's fault. Mexicans are just very racist and xenophobic. They could learn alot about openness from Americans.

Fox is our George Bush. He was voted in because for years it was a one party Democracy, which is basically the same as Cuba and Iraq, only each dictator has a term limit before they turn it over to their hand picked person. Fox was suppose to be the one who changes things, instead he is even harder on the Natives, and he is fucked up on immigration. We went from Ronald Reagan to George Bush.

[Sikotic™]

It's stupid what Fox is doing right now. 

It isn't Fox's fault. Mexicans are just very racist and xenophobic. They could learn alot about openness from Americans.

I think it's time for a vacation. You're trying to hard, holmes.

[7even]

He's just pushing buttons, and he admitted it already.. leave the kid alone.

[Real American]

He's just pushing buttons, and he admitted it already.. leave the kid alone.

Pushing buttons? We have a country right next door to the US that has laws prohibiting people not born in that country from holding prominent jobs. This is the same country now lecturing the US on immigration and calling our policies racist. Should I just ignore this blatant hypocricy and not post the article. Would that make you guys feel better?

I am not "trying too hard", Sikotic. Everything I say is true. Mexico is indeed a very close minded nation and they really could learn about tolerance from the U.S. You cannot dispute that.

[Sikotic™]

I am not "trying too hard", Sikotic. Everything I say is true. Mexico is indeed a very close minded nation and they really could learn about tolerance from the U.S. You cannot dispute that.

Well, are you talking about the Mexican government or Mexicans. Earlier, you said Mexicans are racist and intolerant. That's a broad statement since there are Mexicans living outside of Mexico....not Ohio of course.

I hope you understand the difference, Javii broke it down perfectly.

[King Tech Quadafi]

I hope God helps you down the road, your mind is really fucked up.  You know little about the difference between the Mexican government and it's people. 

How is my mind fucked up for condemning Mexican racism?

Obviously if Mexicans gave a fuck about their government's racist policies they would put pressure on it to chnge them. But they aren't because they probably agree with these policies. Mexicans need to learn to embrace diversity. And their governments needs to shut the fuck up and quit lecturing America.

so since the american population doesnt put pressure on its govt for fuckin the world, are they responsible as well?