A progressive US congressman from Texas has asked his legislative colleagues to join him in condemning some American conservatives’ calls to invade Mexico – ostensibly to do battle with drug cartels there.
Joaquin Castro says he intends to file a resolution in the US House as soon as Friday reaffirming the federal government’s “commitment to respecting the sovereignty of Mexico and condemning calls for military action without Mexico’s consent and congressional authorization.”
The San Antonio Democrat and House foreign affairs committee member’s proposed measure – a copy of which was provided to the Guardian – comes after a high-profile episode in May saw US senator John Kennedy urges the US to send its military into Mexico to confront drug cartels .
In the process, Kennedy insulted Mexicans by saying they “would be eating cat food out of a can and living in a tent behind an Outback” steakhouse restaurant if it were not for their proximity to the US. The racist remarks earned the Louisiana Republican criticism from Mexico’s top government leaders as well as many of his compatriots.
Donald Trump, the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, and Vivek Ramaswamy – who are all seeking the Republican party’s 2024 White House nomination – have similarly pledged to send US military forces into Mexico to wipe out drug lords if given the chance, as the Dallas Morning News reported.
The resolution from Joaquin Castro, who has served in the House since 2013, seeks to assert that the US and Mexico “have cooperated for several decades on a variety of issues such as trade, investment, counter-narcotics, migration, rule of law and security , including through recent high-level security and economic dialogues.”
Castro’s resolution is not a bill and therefore would not have the force of law if the House passes it. Nevertheless, such measures can have meaningful symbolic value.
Joaquin Castro said it was important not to “normalize the idea of invading Mexico.”
“War with Mexico would cause devastating loss of life and would be disastrous for millions of Mexicans and Americans living in Mexico, as well as those in the US whose livelihoods depend on legitimate cross-border trade,” said the statement from Castro, who he identifies as Mexican American. “This resolution sends a strong message that the United States respects Mexico’s sovereignty and that Congress does not support dangerous calls for war at our southern border.”
Some republicans have said that Mexicans “would be eating cat food out of a can and living in a tent behind an Outback” Steakhouse restaurant if it were not for their nation’s proximity to the US, and their country should be invaded because of the presence of drug cartels there, the US senator John Neely Kennedy has said.
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