Mexican Governors Tout Unity In Meeting With LA Leaders
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) – The Los Angeles City Council welcomed seven governors from Mexico at its meeting Friday for a discussion on the city's relationship with the country, and also presented them with honorary certificates of citizenship.
The occasion marked the first time the council has officially received governors from Mexico, according to Council President Herb Wesson's office.
The Mexican governors emphasized the bond that exists between their constituents in Mexico and the people of L.A. None mentioned the new tensions that exist with Washington, D.C. and federal immigration policies until Councilman Gil Cedillo broke the ice. He was direct in addressing the tensions between the federal government and Mexico.
"We are in a time of incredible tumult and conflict of our values as Americans," Cedillo said. "Washington, as you know, for the last year we have heard incredible anti-immigrant, anti-Mexican and anti-Latino rhetoric. There is a hysteria taking place and a specter in our communities of deportation and disruption. And frankly of an embarrassment in terms of our relationship," Cedillo said.
Baja California Gov. Francisco Vega de Lamadrid said he came with one goal in mind.
"We're here to build bridges, not walls," Lamadrid said.
Lamadrid told CBS2 he has not seen a significant impact from federal immigration policies on his state since the Trump administration took office.
"Even though we have a border that separates us, we share the same region," Lamadrid told the city council. "And it is very difficult to separate that. We have family and relationships with thousands and possibly millions of people. We have grandparents living on both sides of the border, we have mothers and fathers living on both sides of the border, we have brothers and sisters living on both sides of the border."
Several of the governors praised Los Angeles and California for laws that help protect migrant workers and Mexican immigrants.
"This conflict will pass, what will not pass is the unity of our two cities and of our two states and of our two nations," Cedillo said.
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