U.S. use of `pepper' bullets at border alarms Mexicans.

Byline: Hugh Dellios

CIUDAD DEL CARMEN, Mexico _ In a casual conversation on the wharf, the ice cream vendor and the underwater welder began talking about unemployment, which led to talk about sneaking into the United States, which led to a new twist in the average Mexican's opinion of his neighbor to the north.

"Watch out, or they will shoot you with rubber bullets," the vendor said with a smile.

Over the last year, an emotional debate has been playing out in Mexico's Congress, media and streets over the U.S. Border Patrol's occasional use of rifle-fired, non-lethal projectiles to subdue unruly illegal immigrants trying to cross the border.

In congressional hearings and dramatic newspaper headlines, critics have conjured images of lopsided clashes …