(2) 

	Background on Pre-2001 Policies

Presidents Bush and Fox began the bilateral discussions in the context of the immigrationand border security policies of the past, particularly the U.S. immigration reforms of 1986 and 1996,the initiatives of the administrations of President William Clinton and President Ernesto Zedillo ofMexico, and the enactment of the Legal Immigrant Family Equity (LIFE) Act of 2000 that will besummarized briefly. In a related area, the Presidents launched the Partnership for Prosperity, a public-privatealliance of Mexican and U.S. governmental and business organizations to promote economicdevelopment throughout Mexico, but particularly in regions where lagging economic growth hasfueled out-migration. Emphasis on Security Following September 2001 TerroristAttacks. (7) 
President Bush's March 2002 Visit to Monterrey, MexicoLaunches Border Partnership ("Smart Border") Agreement. In the bilateral meeting, Presidents Bush and Fox announced a number of initiatives,including (1) a U.S.-Mexico Border Partnership Action Plan with greater cooperation andtechnological enhancements at the border; (2) a Partnership for Prosperity Action Plan withpublic-private initiatives to promote domestic and foreign investment in less developed areas ofMexico with high migration rates; (3) agreement to seek legislative support to expand the mandateof the North American Development Bank (NADBank) and the Border Environmental CooperationCommission (BECC) to finance environmental infrastructure along the border; and (4) agreementto continue the cabinet-level talks to achieve safe, legal, and orderly migration flows between thecountries. Review of Migration and Border Cooperation at BinationalCommission Meeting in November 2004. Turning to the accomplishments of the Partnership for Prosperity (P4P), Secretary Powellnoted that these programs had lowered the fees for transferring funds from the United States toMexico, brought together more than 1,400 business and government leaders from both countries, anddeveloped innovative methods to finance infrastructure projects. Diplomatic Exchanges Between the United States and Mexico onBorder Violence in Late January 2005. House Passes the REAL ID Act in February 2005, withImmigration Provisions and Identity Card Standards; Attaches Provisions to the EmergencySupplemental for FY2005 in March 2005. On March 23, 2005, President Bush hosted meetings in Texaswith President Fox and Prime Minister Martin, in which the leaders established the trilateral"Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) of North America." On May 31,2005, Mexico's Secretary of Government Santiago Creel met with Secretary of Homeland SecurityMichael Chertoff to discuss ongoing efforts to modernize the border crossing points and to regularizemigration, including six new SENTRI lanes and eight new FAST lanes and the repatriation ofMexican nationals in the coming months. U.S., Mexican, and Canadian Officials Release Late June 2005Report to Leaders under Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. In the security area, the ministers highlighted the agreementto develop and implement common methods of screening individuals and cargo, development of aunified trusted traveler program to expand upon the SENTRI and FAST programs, and developmentof a collective approach to protecting infrastructure and responding to various incidents. On December 16, 2005, the House passed H.R. 4437 (BorderProtection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005) that would, among otherthings, strengthen border security, compel employers to use a pilot system to check for employmenteligibility, mandate retention of illegal immigrants, make it a crime to be in the United Statesillegally or to assist illegal aliens, and require the deployment of a fence and surveillance equipmentalong the Mexico-U.S. border.
This report, which will be updated periodically, focuses on the interactions between Mexicoand the United States on migration and border issues during the administrations of President GeorgeW. Bush and President Vicente Fox of Mexico These interactions are increasingly tense in 2006 dueto violence in the border region and debate over U.S. immigration reform. The discussions andagreements fall into four areas: (1) the bilateral migration talks, (2) the Partnership for Prosperity,(3) the Border Partnership Agreement, and (4) the trilateral "Security and Prosperity Partnership(SPP) of North America."
The bilateral migration talks that began in 2001 stalled following the terrorist attacks uponthe United States. President Bush first called for a temporary worker program in January 2004 andsimilar legislative proposals are pending. In May 2005, Congress passed the REAL ID Act of 2005,with provisions that strengthen border control and establish identity card standards. In lateNovember 2005 and January 2006, President Bush called for a guest worker program in the contextof enhanced border control, while Mexico called for shared responsibility approaches. In December2005, the House passed H.R. 4437 (Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and IllegalImmigration Control Act of 2005) that would increase border and immigration controls, includingdeployment of a fence along the Mexico-U.S. border.
The Partnership for Prosperity (P4P) was launched in September 2001 as a public-privatealliance of Mexican and U.S. governmental and business leaders to promote economic developmentin Mexico, especially in areas with high migration rates. By the end of 2004, P4P programs hadlowered fees for transferring funds from the United States to Mexico, brought together more than1,400 business and government leaders, and developed innovative methods to finance infrastructureprojects.
The Border Partnership ("Smart Border") Agreement was announced in March 2002, toenhance border security by utilizing technology to strengthen infrastructure while facilitating thetransit of people and goods across the border. When Mexico's Secretary of Government SantiagoCreel met with Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff in May 2005 they focused on thesix new SENTRI lanes, eight new FAST lanes and the repatriation of Mexican nationals in thecoming months.
The trilateral "Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) of North America" was launchedon March 23, 2005, at a summit that President Bush hosted in Texas with President Fox and PrimeMinister Martin, to advance the common security and the common prosperity of the countriesthrough expanded cooperation and harmonization of immigration, border, and security policies. Inlate June 2005, U.S., Canadian, and Mexican officials released a Report to Leaders with initialresults and proposed initiatives for future cooperation. Among the results the ministers highlightedwere agreement to implement common methods of screening individuals and cargo, expansion ofthe SENTRI and FAST programs, common principles for electronic commerce, and harmonizationof regulatory processes.