President Felipe Calderon said Thursday the U.S. Senate made a "grave error" by killing legislation that would have led to the legalization of millions of unlawful immigrants, most of them from Mexico.
Calderon said the Senate's failure to pass the bill will close the door to legal immigration, permit continued illegal immigration and human rights violations, and decrease security on both sides of the border.
He added that the bill would have been a "sensible, rational, legal solution to the immigration problem," and that the Senate's decision will negatively affect the competitiveness of both the United States and Mexico.
"It worsens the possibility of progress and prosperity not just for the immigrants, but also for the citizens of the United States," he told a news conference held with visiting Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.
"The North American economy could not prosper and advance without the labor of Mexican and Central American immigrants."
Calderon has pushed hard for immigration reform while harshly criticizing a 700-foot (200-meter) border-security fence approved by Congress and President George W. Bush.
Salvadoran President Tony Saca also lamented the Senate's decision to kill the immigration measure, saying, "What a shame. What a shame."
Mexican President Says U.S. Senate Made 'Grave Mistake' Killing Migration Bill
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Originally Posted by Rick Donaldson
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