In a speech Friday, Fox praised the dedication of Mexicans working in the United States, saying they're willing to take jobs that "even blacks" won't do.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher called the remark "very insensitive and inappropriate" and said the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City had raised the issue with the Mexican government.
African American leaders, including the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, called on Fox to apologize.
At first the Mexican president refused, saying his remark had been misinterpreted. But on Monday, after a weekend of mounting criticism, he seemed eager to make amends.
In telephone conversations with Jackson and Sharpton, Fox said he "regretted any hurt feelings" and has great respect "for the African-American community in the United States," according to a statement from his administration.
He also invited the two leaders to Mexico for talks aimed at improving the sometimes tense relationship between blacks and Hispanics in the United States.
No date was set, but the president's office said the visit would be as soon as possible.
Still, many of Fox's countrymen, including the leader of his own party, said the United States had overreacted. They suggested the dispute was a case of overzealous political correctness.
"This is an exaggeration," said Manuel Espino, leader of the conservative National Action Party. "There have been a lot harsher comments that come from north of the border, and we don't scream and shout about it."
Mexicans are frequently themselves the victims of discrimination in the United States and are still smarting over the U.S. crackdown on illegal immigrants, including a border wall in California and limits on drivers' licenses for undocumented migrants."
I don't see a real apology here, but that is not what caught my eye. It was the last paragraph.
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