MEXICO CITY — President Vicente Fox pledged Sunday to travel to the U.S. border soon to personally greet Mexicans returning home, providing an example of how he believes immigrants should be treated.
During a meeting with Mexican-American leaders, Fox repeated his vision of an economically strong, stable Mexico with jobs for its people and wages that eventually could compete with those in the United States.
"The dream is that each kid, each young person, each of our children could stay with his family on this side of the border, could stay here in Mexico," he said.
His comments were greeted with tears and cheers of "It can be done!"
Fox urged those attending the event to invest in Mexico, promising that their dollars will be used to create job opportunities for relatives left behind.
And he said his government would study ways to make sure money from Mexican immigrants in the United States arrives cheaply and safely.
Although he briefly mentioned his plan to work toward opening the borders between the United States and Mexico, Fox focused more on what he planned to do for Mexican-Americans in his first days in office.
Mexican Foreign Secretary Jorge Castaneda pledged to set up U.S. consulates that will work more closely with Mexicans in the United States and "listen more to immigrants to try to bring them more services."
Fox promised to travel soon to the country's border with the United States and shake the hands of immigrants coming home — providing an example of how he feels returning immigrants should be treated.
Those returning to Mexico sometimes encounter mixed feelings on the part of Mexican officials who may resent the fact they left the country.
Before becoming president, Fox served as governor of Guanajuato state, which has one of the highest rates of migration north.
Later Sunday, he was scheduled to continue a three-day inauguration celebration with stops in Metepec and Guadalajara.
He entered the crowd of Mexican-Americans earlier Sunday like a movie star, with many straining to take his photo or get his autograph.
He spent several minutes shaking the hands of sometimes tearful fans, and stopped to give a bear hug to actor Edward James Olmos.
John Arneson, a Dallas attorney who attended the event, said he was impressed with Fox, but wondered how much the new leader could accomplish during his term.
"I don't know that he can do everything in six years," he said.
Still, Fox's government was optimistic. Three days after taking office, government-sponsored commercials showed people throwing away heavy door locks and reporting drug dealers to authorities, an example of how Fox plans to crack down on widespread crime.
At the end of the commercial is a jab at the outgoing ruling party, which — until Fox — had held the presidency since its creation in 1929.
"Already it's not like it was before," the commercial promised.