http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060521/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/mexico_limiting_immigrants
Mexico Works to Bar Non-Natives From Jobs
By MARK STEVENSON, Associated Press Writer
Sun May 21, 12:12 PM ET
MEXICO CITY - If Arnold Schwarzenegger had migrated to Mexico
instead of the United States, he couldn't be a governor. If Argentina
native Sergio Villanueva, firefighter hero of the Sept. 11 attacks,
had moved to Tecate instead of New York, he wouldn't have been allowed
on the force.
Even as Mexico presses the United States to grant unrestricted
citizenship to millions of undocumented Mexican migrants, its
officials at times calling U.S. policies "xenophobic," Mexico places
daunting limitations on anyone born outside its territory.
In the United States, only two posts — the presidency and vice
presidency — are reserved for the native born.
In Mexico, non-natives are banned from those and thousands of other
jobs, even if they are legal, naturalized citizens.
Foreign-born Mexicans can't hold seats in either house of the
congress. They're also banned from state legislatures, the Supreme
Court and all governorships. Many states ban foreign-born Mexicans
from spots on town councils. And Mexico's Constitution reserves almost
all federal posts, and any position in the military and merchant
marine, for "native-born Mexicans."
Recently the Mexican government has gone even further. Since at least
2003, it has encouraged cities to ban non-natives from such local jobs
as firefighters, police and judges.
(snip)
The foreign-born make up just 0.5 percent of Mexico's 105 million
people, compared with about 13 percent in the United States, which has
a total population of 299 million. Mexico grants citizenship to about
3,000 people a year, compared to the U.S. average of almost a half
million
(snip)
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