[JURIST] Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Derbez [profile] plans to travel to Washington on December 29 to meet with US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick [official profile] to discuss a proposed 800-mile wall to be built along the US-Mexico border [JURIST report; NYT coverage]. The US House of Representatives passed [JURIST report] a controversial border security bill [text, PDF] earlier this month providing, among other things, for the construction of security fencing, lights and cameras along the Mexican border. The Mexican government has strongly opposed the measure, calling on Latin American countries to oppose the wall [ABC News report] and hiring a public relations firm [AP report] to improve the country's image in the US. Former Foreign Secretary and Finance Minister Jose Angel Gurria said, "I very strongly hope and actually believe [it] is not going to pass and is going to be modified by the Senate and produce something more reasonable and more balanced that takes into account the realities. Walls are not the solution, walls are not the answer. It is not going to work." The US Senate is expected to consider the bill in February. Reuters has more.