Mexico's Calderon takes his case to Capitol Hill

[May 20, 2010]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mexican President Felipe Calderon is taking his case for a fair and orderly overhaul of U.S. immigration policies to the people who can do something about it: members of Congress.

One day after private meetings with President Barack Obama and White House celebrations in his honor, Calderon pivots Thursday to Capitol Hill. He is addressing a joint meeting of Congress, where he is expected to push for immigration changes and emphasize the economic priorities linking the U.S. and Mexico.

Calderon's state visit comes at a time of renewed furor over the flawed immigration system from Mexico into the United States. From border security troubles to questions about how to deal with the millions of illegal migrants living in the U.S., the immigration debate remains politically vexing, frustrating and volatile.

Obama is lobbying lawmakers to get moving on legislation that would seek to deal with the security, employment and citizenship issues all at once. But he concedes he doesn't yet have the Republican support he would need to get such a complex deal done. Whether any progress will happen this year is unclear.

Stoking the matter is a new law approved by Arizona lawmakers and set to take effect July 29 unless derailed by legal challenges. It requires police, in the context of enforcing other laws, to question people about their immigration status if there's reason to suspect they are in the country illegally.

Calderon calls that discriminatory, and Obama agrees the Arizona law could well be applied that way. He has ordered a Justice Department review.

"A prosperous North America that benefits both Americans and Mexicans is only feasible if we work shoulder to shoulder and if we confront these challenges decisively and courageously," Calderon said at the White House on Wednesday, pushing for cooperation on the economy, immigration and security.

[Associated Press; By BEN FELLER]

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