Vicente Fox talks Houston immigration with ABC13's Ted Oberg

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

(10/15/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- It is the future of the millions of Mexican immigrants in this country that is pushing former Mexican President Vicente Fox to stay in the public eye.

He loudly disagrees with the U.S. wall building plan and told us critics are ruining the immigration debate.

When he took office in 2001, Fox figured Mexico and the United States were no more than a few months from changing history and legalizing the messy immigration battle. Fox was Bush's first formal White House guest. But that was six days before September 11.

"Six years went by and manana, manana. This is not the spirit of this nation, the manana, manana, that's Mexican," said Fox. "Here, action is what has to be done."

The only immigration plan passed so far secured the U.S. border with plans to build a wall. In his new book, Revolution of Hope, Fox says Mexicans are smart enough to get around the wall. He told us there needs to be a guest worker system.

"Those who are not working or don't have a job should go back," he told us. "I am not pledging for illegality. I am pledging for justice, for fairness, for full respect and dignity."

As for critics who say the wall is the answer and the undocumented cost the United States too much.

"These guys that say that don't read the Bible," said Fox.

And more than skipping out on morality, Fox says the current system and those who don't want to change it are hypocritical.

"This is business in this land, let's talk business," he said. "Those people who complain about it, I can bet you they are hiring them in their homes or to construct their homes."

Fox, who is running his presidential library and think tank, says the best way to stop undocumented immigration is to invest in Mexico, take the billions to be spent on the wall and invest it in jobs and infrastructure south of the border.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)

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