Mexico presses Bush to reject border fence bill News
Mexico presses Bush to reject border fence bill

[JURIST] Mexico [JURIST news archive] urged President Bush on Monday to veto the Secure Fence Act of 2006 [text, PDF] authorizing the construction of a 700-mile fence along the US-Mexico border [JURIST news archive]. A spokesman for Mexican President Vicente Fox [official website, English version] said the bill "hurts bilateral relations, goes against the spirit of cooperation needed to guarantee security in the common, [and] creates a climate of tension in border communities."

Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs [official website, in English] said last week that it was "deeply worried" about the proposed fence construction [JURIST report]. The US Senate passed the bill [JURIST report] Friday by a vote of 80-19 [roll call], and included a key provision giving the US Department of Homeland Security [official website] "operational control" over US borders within 18 months in an effort to keep illegal substances and illegal immigrants from entering the US. The House of Representatives passed [JURIST report] the measure 283-138 [roll call] on September 15. Reuters has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

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On December 25, 800 A.D., Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III in Rome, Italy. During his lifetime, Charlemagne united most of Western Europe for the first time since the fall of the Western Roman Empire. He is credited with spreading the rule of law throughout his dominions as well as starting the French and German monarchies.

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