WASHINGTON – Divided over a border fence, President Bush and Mexico’s president-elect pledged on Thursday to work together on stopping illegal immigration.
Felipe Calderon, who takes office on Dec. 1, has called the U.S. plan to build a 700-mile fence along the border “deplorable” and compared it to the construction of the Berlin Wall.
After a meeting in the Oval Office, the leaders struck a tone of cooperation.
“I expressed to President Bush my concern regarding the issue of migration,” Calderon said. “President Bush was very open to all the arguments that I presented to him. We both stressed the need to have a comprehensive vision with which we can move forward.”
Bush signed the law authorizing the fence on Oct. 26. He wants more – temporary worker permits for foreigners willing to take low-wage jobs and a path for illegal immigrants working in the United States for some time to become citizens. But Congress has not agreed.
Bush said Thursday that Mexico is a priority for his administration. He said he stands by his push for a comprehensive immigration overhaul.
“I assured him that we will work very closely together,” Bush said, with Calderon at his side.
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