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Mexican President Felipe Calderón will find many similarities in terms of the drug war when he meets with Barack Obama on Monday, but could have more difficulties when trying to persuade the U.S. president-elect to take a reform of immigration laws as one of its highest priorities.

In a release issued Sunday, the presidency of Mexico said that with Obama Calderon addressed the issue of migration, promoting their "treatment."


Calderon "will seek in particular to promote better conditions for Mexicans in the United States on the basis of respect for their rights and full recognition to the financial, social and cultural performing," he added.

Calderon will probably express his concern about Obama raids against illegal immigrants in the U.S. and speak in favor of expanding the temporary worker program. Obama, who last year supported an attempt to immigration reform that would have granted a path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants, could be open to discuss these issues.


Still, there is little chance that the new U.S. government will rush to change the immigration laws, while the unemployment and foreclosure continue to rise in the United States, said George Grayson, a Mexico expert at the University of William & Mary in Virginia.

Indeed, the fragile U.S. economy could put pressure on Obama to strengthen border security and keep illegal immigrants out of the country.


"The possibility is being discussed now that immigration reform is like snow in the desert," said Grayson.

"With rising unemployment in the United States and forecasts of the economic slowdown this year, this is not the best time to encourage more workers to the country," he added.


Janet Napolitano, the governor of Arizona to become the new head of the Department of Homeland Security of the country, has supported the earlier tightening measures to curb undocumented immigration.

Napolitano was in favor of sending National Guard troops to the Mexican border and punish businesses that hire undocumented workers.


However, she and Obama are in favor of the idea of giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.

While Calderon's predecessor, Vicente Fox, an intense pressure for immigration reform that would give illegal immigrants legal status, the new Mexican president will probably not be so ambitious.


"Calderon continues emphasizing the contribution of Mexican workers to the U.S. economy," said Grayson. "(Calderon) expects that although there is still a chance for 'the whole enchilada,' there's' cues' that would benefit Mexico."

The war against drug trafficking, which has always defined the relations between Mexico and the United States, could complicate the passage of immigration reform.


Killings linked to drug trafficking doubled last year in Mexico, followed by an increase in murders in cities across the U.S. border. Some Mexicans, especially police officers, have emigrated to the United States, seeking a safe place where there are death threats.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice described the Mexican drug cartels as the greatest threat of organized crime for the United States, accusing them of joining the Italian Mafia and other gangs to control the distribution of drugs in American cities.


Calderon will also meet with President George W. Bush on Tuesday to discuss anti-drug agreement, announced on Saturday the press office of the White House. It also plans to meet with financial experts, academics and lawmakers.