By Adam Thompson
FT.com
April 19, 2006
What started out as an email grassroots initiative has spread from the U.S. to Mexico. Millions of Mexican citizens are threatening to boycott U.S. products and businesses in Mexico in “the Great American Boycott” on May 1st.
The May 1st U.S. protest entitled, “A Day without Immigrants” is aimed against House resolution 4437 and toward obtaining a more comprehensive immigration reform. U.S. protestors hope that a work stoppage will force Congress to recognize the millions of undocumented migrant workers who have become a vital source of cheap labor for the U.S. economy.
One Mexican government official said that Mexican nationals feel so strongly about U.S. immigration reform because of the increasing amount of remittances – money sent home by immigrants in U.S. According to Mexico’s central bank, at more than $20 billion per year, remittances are Mexico’s second-biggest source of foreign currency after oil.
“It is totally the wrong approach because the U.S. business community has been one of the most adamant supporters and lobbyists of a comprehensive immigration bill”– Larry Rubin, head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Mexico City
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