Immigrants no threat, Mexican consul says

Immigrants no threat, Mexican consul says - JSOnline: "Immigrants are not and never have been a threat to U.S. security, but they are an important factor in the economic prosperity of this country, the newly arrived Mexican consul general in Chicago said here Thursday.

'We are not the enemy,' Eduardo Arnal Palomera said at the Manos Juntas (Hands Together) biennial conference on Latino and migrant issues at the Country Springs Hotel.

He called Mexican immigrants who come here 'hard workers and taxpayers who contribute to the economy.' But, he said, there's an anti-immigrant sentiment that creates hate and hostility.

Legislation that tries to criminalize immigrants 'is a mistake and should be rejected,' he said.

'Immigration is not a problem, but an opportunity to build bridges between Mexico and the U.S.,' he said. Comprehensive immigration reform would be in the economic interest of both countries, he said."