U.S. officiafinds policies don't translate

SACRAMENTO, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- A Mexican-American politician from California has discovered that positions that make sense north of the border sound different in the south.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Fabian Nunez, speaker of the California Assembly, has been spending much of his time on a goodwill trip to Mexico explaining his call for a state of emergency on the border. Nunez says his was moved by a concern for illegal immigrants who often die trying to cross.

"Last week I got a report on the number of deaths in Calexico, and after seeing the loss of life, I called on the governor to act," Nunez said Friday during a breakfast meeting.

Nunez's qualified support of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger also puzzles or angers many Mexicans, the Times said. The governor supported a group of private citizens calling themselves the Minutemen who patrolled the border this spring.

"Where does this guy stand?" Ulises Canchola Gutierrez, a foreign ministry official, asked the Times. "He supports a state of emergency. He says Arnold is not so bad. I'm confused."