CHICAGO -- Mexican President Felipe Calderon came to Chicago on Tuesday, where he addressed a large crowd at a Little Village high school and briefly met with Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Images: Calderon Visits Video: Presidential Visit Tinged With Controversy

Calderon also met with Gov. Rod Blagojevich, signing a memorandum strengthening the educational ties between Mexico and Illinois, NBC5's Natalie Martinez reported.

Calderon's visit did not come without some controversy, Martinez reported, as protestors from several local unions, including the steelworkers' union, gathered outside the school to call on Calderon to treat of coal miners in Mexico better before asking for justice for immigrants.

"In Mexico, he wants to bust the unions, and he doesn't want safety and health in the mines," said one protestor. "The Steelworkers' Union is here to support them."

Calderon, who addressed a crowd at Little Village High School in Spanish, said he does understand the problem at the borders, adding that he understood there was pain involved risking one's life for a better life in America. Calderon also told the crowd that he wanted to make Mexico a place Mexicans would not want to leave, and wanted a safe border for both Mexicans and Americans.

The United States and Mexico need to be united to prosper, he told the crowd in Spanish.

"It is not by closing our borders or canceling our commerce treaties that we can prosper together. We want to build bridges because it is bridges not walls that unites people," Calderon said in a quote translated by a Spanish-speaking journalist.

Calderon also said he doesn't want people to leave Mexico because it drains the country of some of its best and bravest citizens.

Calderon also told the crowd that the fee that Mexicans pay for passports going to Mexico would stop, adding that he wants the money to stay in the Mexican consulate.

Visitors said they were happy to hear about Calderon's concerns, Martinez reported.

"My parents were immigrants when they came in," said one woman. "They're legal residents now, and they have been very successful. The immigration issue is very important for my family."

Calderon was in Chicago as part of his first trip to the U.S. as Mexico's president. He met privately with Daley and Blagojevich before addressing more than 1,000 members of the city's Mexican community at an invitation-only event at Little Village High School.

Calderon came to Chicago after first visiting New York and Boston. He was headed next to California.

Calderon wants American lawmakers to let more Mexicans live and work legally in the United States and he has told Mexican consuls here to work harder to promote the positive contributions of immigrants.

But an illegal Mexican immigrant who has taken sanctuary in a Chicago church to avoid a deportation order said Calderon's government should take a hard line to get immigration issues resolved.

"We call on the Mexican government to stop all negotiations with the United States about trade, investments, fighting the narcotics trade and security until there is a satisfactory resolution of the problem of the undocumented and their families," said an open letter from Flor Crisostomo.

She is the latest illegal immigrant to seek refuge in the Adalberto United Methodist Church. Another woman was deported last year after she left the church and traveled to California.

Calderon is not leaving Chicago empty-handed. He has a deal that will help Mexican restaurant workers and an agreement with the state to strengthen educational ties between Mexico and Illinois.

The City Colleges of Chicago, the Illinois Restaurant Association and Mexican education officials are working together to launch a certification program for restaurant workers.

Daley's office said it is a skills certification program similar to what's available in Mexico for a variety of jobs.

"Chicago is truly an international city and our membership relies heavily on a work force that is made up of immigrants from Mexico and all over the world. This certification program will enable our membership to save time and money on training," Sheila O'Grady, president of the Illinois Restaurant Association, said in a statement.

Calderon also takes with him a partnership agreement with the state to strengthen educational ties between Illinois and Mexico. It includes a visiting program for Mexican teachers.

Concepcion Martinez, a Chicagoan who came to the U.S. from Mexico 35 years ago, said immigrants who come to the United States want to, and do, contribute.

"I believe we count in this country," Martinez said.