Calderón’s Relatives Work in the U.S.

When President Bush and Mexican President Felipe Calderón talked about the thorny issue of immigration yesterday, the conversation turned deeply personal.

Bush expressed concern about the exploitation and human rights abuses caused by “a system that encourages people to sneak across the border,” while Calderón revealed that members of his family are working north of the border.

Calderón’s comments about his family members came during a joint news conference, when a reporter asked if he had relatives working in the United States and whether they were there legally.

“Yes,” Calderón said, “I have family in the United States, and what I can say is that they are people who work and respect the country, people who pay taxes to your government, people who harvest the vegetables you probably eat, people who serve food in restaurants, people who contribute to the prosperity of the United States.”

Calderón said he has not seen those family members for a long time and does not know their legal status. He went on to point out that a third of the population of Michoacan, his home state, is working in the United States. Click here.

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