Last week President Bush welcomed an important amigo to the White House. Mexican President Vincente Fox was the first foreign leader to make an official "state visit" since Bush took office in January. The two Presidents share a close relationship and a desire to strengthen ties between the neighboring countries.
"The most important ties between your country and mine go beyond economics and politics and geography," Fox said at a dinner held to welcome him. "They are the ties of heritage, culture and family."
The leaders discussed the issue of immigration. There are 3 million Mexicans living and working illegally in the U.S. Fox pleaded that they be granted the right to stay in the U.S. legally.
Bush promised Fox that he would work with Congress to develop a new immigration policy. But, he warned, "this is an incredibly complex issue."
On Thursday, Fox and Bush visited a Mexican-American community in Toledo, Ohio. Bush called his Mexican counterpart un amigo mio, "a friend of mine" in Spanish. He added, "Friends hold each other with respect."
Both Presidents hope this visit will open a new era of respect and cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico.