The majority of Americans think that undocumented workers should be extended a way to obtain legal residency, an adviser to former Mexican President Vicente Fox told Utah Valley residents Friday at Utah Valley State College.

Juan Hernandez, who has also been featured on political commentary shows on MSNBC, CNN and the Spanish-language Univision, said the United States and Mexico should be working more collaboratively to resolve the current immigration crisis.

"My opinion is that Mexico is very interested in resolving the U.S. immigration issue," Hernandez said. "[Mexico's] greatest writers and scholars have spent more time in the U.S. than at home. Mexico is not our enemy; they are our friends."

Hernandez addressed what he called the "majority of Americans" when he mentioned a few things that need to be considered in order for illegal workers to become legal residents. They included thorough background checks of all undocumented workers in the U.S., payment of adequate Social Security and tax fees, and the responsibility to learn English.

Hernandez was quick to point to his mixed Anglo-American and Mexican blood to defend his views. A history of racism and changed hearts toward the Mexican people are even present in his family tree.

"My mother wanted to go to Guanejuato [Mexico], to study art and Spanish, but my grandmother could not understand why a White Anglo-Saxon would want to go to 'that foreign country,'" Hernandez said. "It's safe to say that my grandmother was disappointed in her 'rebellious' daughter."

For 10 years, Hernandez's grandmother refused to talk to her Mexican son-in-law and appeared to treat her Mexican-American grandchildren differently than her Anglo-American grandchildren. But by the end of her life, she changed her opinions, he said.

Copyright Brigham Young University 1 Apr 2008