Schwarzenegger Discusses Upcoming Visit with Mexico President Fox in Press Conference
Schwarzenegger Discusses Upcoming Visit with Mexico President Fox in Press Conference
Thanks all for being here. As you know, Mexican President Vicente Fox is coming tomorrow to California, and we are looking forward to welcoming him and his wonderful wife. Heâs coming here at a time when America is engaged in a difficult debate, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to be able to talk to him about issues that are very important to both of us.
I will discuss three major issues with him;
* Strengthening trade between Mexico and California. Already Mexico and California are No. 1 trading -- Mexico is California's No. 1 trading partner. Mexican tourists, for instance, have spent last year 1.5 billion dollars in California alone. Mexico has bought a lot of goods from California; 5 billion dollars in high-tech equipment, 2 billion dollars in machinery, 1.1 billion dollars in food products, and the list goes on and on. So you can see that a growing Mexican economy is also good for California. We will also discuss trade issues and my plans to do a trade mission to Mexico, and other actions that will help us make our economy grow.
* I will also raise the issue of immigration and border security. I know that these are difficult issues to discuss, but the friendship between Mexico and California is strong, and so I believe open and honest communication can only make our friendship even stronger. I will reiterate my position that immigration and border security is a federal issue, and the federal governments of both sides, the United States and Mexico, can and must do more. Congress must pass comprehensive immigration reform that secures our borders and allows for a temporary working program.
* I will discuss also President Bush's plan for using the national troops to help the Border Patrol on a temporary basis, and I will make it clear to President Fox that I oppose the using of the military for law enforcement duties. However, I am prepared to commit the California National Guard troops in support of Border Patrol operations, but as I said, it has to be on a temporary basis.
I will also talk to President Fox about the issue of building tunnels. For example, I just spoke with Senator Feinstein about her federal legislation with Congressman Dryer to make it a crime to build tunnels under our borders. Since 9/11, we have discovered over 40 of these tunnels, and they are a major pathway for drug dealers and for human trafficking, illegal immigration and potential terrorists. You should also know that Senator Feinstein has asked President Fox to take similar steps to make sure that these tunnels are illegal in Mexico. I will also ask President Fox to do all he can to address this issue with his government.
* Finally, we will talk about environmental issues that are so important to the citizens of both sides of the border. We share land, we share water, air, and of course electricity and beaches on our beautiful coast. Pollution does not recognize political boundaries. There is much that we have already done, much that we have already accomplished in as far as the environment is concerned, but there is much more that we still need to do.
So I look forward to discussing these issues with him as partners, as friends, and as neighbors. Thank you.
And now, if you have any questions?
QUESTIONS/ANSWERS
Q. (IA) sending the troops to the border until you had some answers to questions about who would pay for it, when would the mission end? Have you gotten those answers?
A. No, not yet. But you're absolutely correct that we made it very clear that we are supportive of securing the borders, and to work with the federal government. But we still need to have some questions answered, questions such as who is going to pay for it, what does it mean when they say, "Well, we're going to reimburse you"? Still we need answers about this rotating system, which is like every two or three weeks that we will rotate. It's a very odd system, I feel kind of like you're in the middle of a heart surgery and every five minutes you rotate the doctors and continue on with the surgery type of thing. So I think that we also need to know what is really the length of that operation? We are being told it's two and half years, but then what is really the answer when they don't get enough Border Patrols? Does it mean that it becomes three and a half years, six years, or what? Because normally when the military says that it's a temporary mission, it usually always is for a long period of time, as we have seen in the past, so history has taught us that.
Q. Governor, conservative groups have suggested that you should take a more confrontational approach with President Fox tomorrow and point out specifically what it costs California for illegal immigration. What do you think of that suggestion?
A. Well, you know, my -- I always think about one thing; what is best for California? I don't think about what's the conservative approach, or what is the liberal approach, what is the open-minded approach, and all of those things. To me it's all about what is best for California, how can we secure the borders for California, and how can we have a system where people can come in here legally and work here legally so that our various different industries and companies have a way of hiring legal workers, and also that the workers that come in here are doing their job legally? So that's really the objective, what we are trying to accomplish, and I support that.
But the important thing is now that we protect our borders and that we protect California, because we are always talking about illegal immigration, but I'm also concerned about -- and very concerned about -- the slipping through of terrorists. As I have said, that we have discovered 40 tunnels since 9/11, and these are tunnels that have the size where trucks can go through. And so it concerns me that people can really bring materials across that are very dangerous, and trying to take us down.
So what I want to do is secure the borders once and for all, and this is why I want to continue putting the pressure on the federal government to do everything they can not to make this issue a political issue, but to make this a security issue. We must protect our borders.
Q. But you're not going to take a confrontational approach to President Fox?
A. Say again?
Q. But you're not going to take a confrontational approach to President Fox?
A. Mexico is our friend, and I'm going to talk to him -- we will have an open discussion with President Fox of how can we work together in order to solve the problems of our environment, our immigration and border security problems, and also how do we work together to make our industries flourish, and how to make our economy boom even more. Because we know that when we work together we can really do much better and it will be beneficial for them, it will be beneficial for us.
Yes, please.
Q. It's almost three years since your term, and Mexico --
A. It's been that long?
Q. Yes. Time flies. And given Mexico's importance as a trade partner and Mexico's status, can you tell us why you're only meeting with President Fox now? You've been to Israel, you've been to Japan, you've been to China, you've been to Germany. Why has Mexico not had the same sort of priority for you in terms of setting up a meeting like this, as with some of these other countries?
A. Well, as you know, it doesn't have really that much to do with priority, it has to do with the circumstances. Like with Israel, for instance, it was a commitment that I had made three years ago to the Simon Wiesenthal Center before I ever knew that I'm going to become governor, that I will be there at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem. So I wanted to keep that commitment. And at the same time I said, "Well, since I'm governor now, let's make it also into a trade mission, and let's try to get some business for California." So the same -- with Japan it was the same thing. So we do these trade missions -- as you know, Asia is the gateway to California, so it was a natural thing.
But we were looking forward to also going to Mexico. So this is really an ideal situation for us to talk about it, because the President is right now on a tour through the United States to talk about immigration and all the things he wants to talk about. And so we're going to use that to work out maybe a trade mission that we can do to Mexico. And I'm looking forward to that, because like I said, Mexico is our trade partner and it has been a great, great partner, and we have benefited from it, and hopefully they also have benefited from us being their partner.
Q. Governor, the politics of it also --
A. No, politics has nothing to do with it.
Q. The SB 60 and the driver's license issue, did that enter into the timing at all?
A. Well, he may bring it up, but I will not bring it up, because I am perfectly fine with the way things are right now. But he may bring it up, and I will tell him why I'm against the driver's license for undocumented immigrants.
Yes?
Q. Governor, as part of the discussion on immigration in Washington D.C. yesterday the US Senate passed a bill that talked about clamping down on businesses who hire illegal immigrants. Can you talk about that issue, and what role businesses have to play in doing their job to make sure they're not hiring people who are here illegally?
A. Well, it's a much more complex issue, as you know. It all ought to be part of a comprehensive reform on immigration and our system, because you can't really make businesses become kind of like the law enforcement agency and become the experts, because there are so many people that have falsified documents. They have falsified driver's licenses, they have falsified social security numbers, they have falsified birth certificates and so on. So how does someone that is an owner of a business know if these documents are real or not? And then all of a sudden they find out they have illegal immigrants working for them, and they get arrested, or they get punished, or they get sued, and all this. So it's very odd.
We have to come up with a more comprehensive system rather than just one idea. It is about, let's reform the whole thing. Let's figure out, how do we secure the borders, No. 1. Then No. 2, how do we create temporary working permits so that people can hire people from the outside, workers from the outside? And then, what do we do with the people that are in here, in this country? So it has to be a step by step process, and it has to be comprehensive rather than a piecemeal thing, and to just take a little bit here and a little bit there.
And the key thing is, I think, for the federal government, for the Senate, and for the House to really look at this not in a political way, but to really think about what is best for the country, and what is best for each one of the states, and so on, and how do we solve those problems? And I think that's also the key thing when you talk about how do we secure the borders. You know, there are people that talk about building a wall, and someone else says building a fence, and someone else says, "But how do we protect from the tunnel?" And all of those things. We've got to use the technology that we have available, we have to use the manpower, and it's questionable if 6,000 is enough, or whatever they have, is enough. I believe more manpower is needed.
So all of those things ought to be addressed not in a political way, what is a great line to say so you get more votes, or something, but to go and say, how do we really fix this problem once and for all that is good for everybody?
Q. Governor --
A. Yes, please.
Q. You talk about the economy in Mexico. Do you believe -- the Mexican economy, according to many analysts both here and in Mexico is not strong enough. Clearly, it's not creating enough jobs, and that's why people are having to seek opportunities elsewhere. Would you tell President Fox, respectfully, if there is any sort of responsibility that Mexico has in the role of immigration reform? Speaker Nunez has said that maybe they should look at their labor laws, possibly increasing minimum wage. What are your thoughts?
A. I think one thing we know; that Mexico is doing much better this year than last year, they're improving their economy, and I'm very happy about that, and I want to congratulate President Fox on that. But of course the answer is to solve your problems, the economic problems that you have in your country, because if everyone has work in Mexico, and if the economy is booming and they're doing great business, then Americans will be trying to go and slip under that fence to go down to Mexico and get a job. You know, that's really the ideal situation, if we have that.
So it's all about improving the economy. And maybe there's something we can do to help them, maybe there's something that California can do, that the United States can do. Look, they are our partners, and I think it is terrific, the efforts that they make, and now they just have to continue to really improve. I don't want to get into the labor law, that's not my position. I don't want to get into telling them what to do, because that's presumptuous. We all are struggling with our economies, and we all want to do better with our economies, and they have to figure it out themselves. But I will have those discussions with President Fox.
STAFF: Last question, last question.
A. Yeah, please. Oh, excuse me.
Q. The Speaker suggested a little while ago that California's relations with Mexico were better when Gray Davis was governor, that they've sort of gone downhill, and this visit gives us an opportunity to reestablish good ties. Have things gone south here with them since you're been governor?
A. Well, maybe this is his opinion. I respect his opinion. You know, he can say whatever he wants. I am looking forward to working with President Fox so we have a great relationship. I'm excited about, since I've come into office, that we have increased our trade with Mexico by a tremendous amount. As a matter of fact, I think it's like 16 percent or so. So we have enjoyed a great relationship, and I'm delighted, like I said, about President Fox's visit so we can address more than just the immigration issue.
Here's the important thing. When you have an opportunity to meet a leader like this, you want to use this opportunity wisely. And we want to make sure that we talk about very important issues like the environment, which is an extremely important issue to me. I think it's an important issue to them also. And I think also trade and the economy, how do we help each other with improving our economies, those are very important issues that we want to address.
One more, right here.
Q. Can we backtrack to the driver's license question? You said something to the affect that "I'm perfectly fine with the way things are right now." A few years ago you said if Mr. Cedillo came up with a distinguishable license you would sign it. And then last year, and the year before, you said we need to wait until the REAL ID Act. Now I'm inferring from your comment that you basically think things should stay the same and you oppose licenses for people who can't prove they're here legally. Could you clarify your position, please?
A. I will say exactly the same as I've said two and half years ago when I ran for governor; that until we can prove who the people are, we cannot give driver's licenses because of security problems that we have. When we can prove that, when we can see who is that person, and then can do the background check, then we can go into that and say, "Okay, now we can go and give a driver's license." We have not been able to do that, and I have told this to Senator Cedillo over and over, every single year when it came up -- not that I have been in office that many years -- but every single time it does come up, I make it very clear. I said, "Show to me a way where we can go and prove that the people are who they say they are, and that they have a birth certificate, and they can prove where they were born and all of those things. We need that information. We cannot just hand out official documents to people when we don't know who they are."
Q. So if they meet the standards of the REAL ID Act, then you're open to this thing?
A. Absolutely. I'm open to discuss that, absolutely.
Thank you very much. Thank you.
http://www.governor.ca.gov/state/govsite/gov_htmldisplay.jsp?
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