“We will never agree with attempts by certain circles in the US to treat honest workers as criminals. Looking for work, striving to provide a decent life for one's families through honest labor cannot be considered a crime,” emphasized Felipe Calderón, speaking at the ceremony for the National Human Rights Awards.
“My family comes from the state of Michoacán, which has always ‘supplied’ a large number of illegal immigrants to the United States. Many of my close relatives are among them. Cousins, nephews, uncles, godparents—all of them at some point went to work in the US and continue to live there as illegals,” the president added.
According to official data, more than 600,000 Mexicans illegally cross the border between Mexico and the United States each year. According to UN statistics, 28.1 million people of Mexican origin live in the United States, over 11 million of whom are illegals.
In the fall of this year, the US administration, in order to reduce migration flows, decided to build a double metal fence along the shared border with Mexico, 1,200 km long, equipped with the most modern surveillance and detection technology. At the same time, an additional 6,000-strong contingent of the US National Guard was sent to the border for enhanced patrolling.
Based on materials from RIA Novosti.