By
The Associated Press
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador - President-elect Vicente Fox promised yesterday to combat injustices suffered by Central American immigrants detained in Mexico as they try to travel to the United States.
Speaking to El Salvador's congress during the last day of his five-nation tour of Central America, Fox said Central American immigrations have been "victims of innumerable abuses and oppression committed by corrupt officials."
"The voyage north is a dangerous adventure that too often ends in death and violence," Fox said.
After he is sworn in as president Dec. 1, Fox promised that among his first actions will be to create a special program to protect Central Americans, adding that officials from the National Commission of Human Rights will visit jails to ensure their human rights.
"This cruel reality is intolerable for Mexicans and Central Americans," Fox said. "This brutal reality will disappear under my government."
Fox also proposed creating a program that would allow countries to share information in an effort to prevent human rights abuses and act quickly when they occur.
In Guatemala, Fox said economic opportunity and free trade are key to stemming the tide of immigrants, adding that "economic reasons are increasingly causing illegal immigration from here into Mexico, as they are from Mexico into the United States."
After visiting El Salvador, Fox traveled to Nicaragua - the last stop of his four-day trip.
