Immigration Politics: Cain's Electrified-Fence Comment Raises Concern in Mexico

TIME: "when Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain joked about a killer electric fence to keep migrants out, political electric shocks surged rapidly south of the Rio Grande. From pulpits by the border to editorial offices in the capital, priests and editors vented their anger at comments they called "stupid," "barbaric" and "shameful."

But even if Cain's comments by themselves can be dismissed as an unsuccessful attempt at humor that produced fury instead, Mexican commentators and congressman have voiced concern about a bigger political picture. In the run-up to the Republican primaries, several candidates have been outbidding each other over who can be toughest over the southern border.

... Pundits in Mexico fear that if this rhetoric carries over into the 2012 presidential election, it will exasperate both antimigrant and cross-border tensions. "In this environment, the electoral weapon has been used to demonize migrant workers and paint them as being the cause of the lack of jobs and insecurity," an editorial in Mexico City's La Jornada newspaper declared Monday." read more