Latin America rejects new EU law on illegal immigrants

MEXICO CITY, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Latin American countries have voiced their criticism of a new EU immigration law, which stipulates indiscriminative deportation of illegal immigrants in European Union (EU) countries.

The European Parliament approved on Wednesday the so-called "Return Directive", which will come into force in 2010.

Under the new law, all illegal immigrants living in the EU member states will have to leave the bloc within a period of seven to 30 days.

Otherwise, they will be subject to up to six-months of detention, which can be prolonged for another 12 months in exceptional cases. The deportees will be barred from entering the EU for a period of up to five years.

On Thursday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez reacted with indignation to the new EU law and threatened that his country would cut oil supply to European countries if the new law is applied.

He urged Latin American countries to unite against the EU law, which he described as an "embarrassment" and "unacceptable."

Meanwhile, the Argentine Foreign Ministry voiced its disapproval of the new EU law, saying the Argentine government "regrets the terms of the Return Directive approved by the EU Parliament."

"The immigration issue can only be solved if it is tackled with respect for human rights," the ministry said in a statement.

The Brazilian Foreign Ministry also released a statement, saying the EU decision to put a tougher hand on illegal immigrants "goes in the wrong way."

Foreign ministers of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia also expressed their concern about the EU law on Thursday.

A Peruvian parliament leader said the EU law was a contradiction to the agreement between the EU and Latin America on the protection of immigrants, which was signed in May during the 5th Latin American, Caribbean and EU Summit (ALCUE).

Guatemalan Deputy Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Ibarra said the EU law affects many countries in the region, which should work together to urge the EU to reconsider its decision.

Honduran Deputy Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina said the EU decision is "worrisome" because the current policy of the bloc is more generous to the Latin American immigrants.