Mexican Trucking, Immigration Discussed at North American Leaders Conference
Obama says immigration reform will have to wait.
Compiled by staff
Published: Aug 11, 2009
The North American Free Trade Agreement called for Mexican truckers to be allowed to deliver Mexican goods to anywhere in the United States by the year 2000. That program was eventually dropped by the U.S. and as a result millions of dollars in retaliatory tariffs were placed on U.S. companies sending goods to Mexico. Officially, President Obama says the safety concerns of legislators and union members was the reason the program was not renewed. However, there were concerns in the U.S. as to the safe operation of the trucks from Mexico. During a Sunday meeting in Guadalajara, Mexico, President Obama told Mexico's President, Felipe Calderon, he is committed to resolving the issue.
While sharing a news conference with the Mexican President and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, at the North American Leaders Summit, President Barack Obama also addressed the immigration situation. Mr. Obama said efforts to change the immigration system would have to wait until next year. He said that is when it will become a major focus for his administration. He first wants, among other things, to see passage of a new health care system. The President said it is very important to sequence these big initiatives in a way where they don't all just crash at the same time.
President Obama admitted that the immigration system is broken and that politically and legislatively, the matter stands behind health care, energy legislation and an overhaul of financial regulatory rules on Obama's first-term agenda.
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