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Mexico is just trying to protect their undocumented cash cow.




Mexico to bolster immigrant defense

Anti-defamation league weighed as consulates in U.S. go on offensive

08:21 AM CDT on Thursday, October 4, 2007

By ALFREDO CORCHADO and DIANNE SOLÍS / The Dallas Morning News

The Mexican government is giving its consulates in the U.S. wide 
latitude to ramp up a campaign to toughen their defense of immigrants 
and plans to give them more resources as well, officials familiar with 
the strategy said.

The move comes as deportations reach an all-time high in the toughest 
crackdown in decades by the U.S. government and police authorities.

Among the actions under discussion are the creation of an 
anti-defamation league similar to that focused on protecting Jews; 
budget increases for some of the 47 consulates, especially in regions 
such as North Texas, where Mexican migration has been swift and 
plentiful; and a media campaign aimed at counteracting groups opposed to 
illegal immigration and sometimes legal immigration.

The effort underscores the tension in U.S. communities grappling with 
problems created by illegal immigration. And it is sure to further 
incense groups demanding a crackdown on immigration, both legal and illegal.

"Our fight is no longer inside the Beltway," said one senior Mexican 
official, who agreed to speak only on condition of anonymity. "We have 
been forced to change our strategy."

But Jean Towell, president of Dallas-based Citizens for Immigration 
Reform, called the move "arrogant," saying that the Mexican government 
does not "have the right to meddle in our affairs."

"They have come out before saying it is wrong for us to meddle in 
Mexico's affairs," she said. "They are losing human capital. It would be 
better if they provided the right kind of incentives to keep their 
people there. It is a no-brainer."

Mexican government officials gave few additional details about the plan 
but said it would cover 11 million first-generation citizens, half of 
whom live in an "irregular migratory situation."

Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration 
Studies, said the plan "is guaranteed to backfire."

"They may feel that if they want an amnesty, they have to try," he said. 
But "they are going to be directly engaging in American politics. That 
is something American consuls would be deported for."

Mr. Krikorian said he was surprised by the new approach because Mexico's 
U.S. ambassador, Arturo Sarukkhán, usually chooses his words so carefully.

Mr. Sarukkhán could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.

Mexico City meeting

Nearly two dozen U.S.-based immigrant leaders, including North Texans, 
flew to Mexico City recently to meet with senior officials of the 
Foreign Ministry and the Interior Ministry to discuss the strategy. The 
Foreign Ministry and its Institute for Mexicans Abroad, or IME, is 
carrying out the government's plan.

Mario Ramírez, a Dallas businessman and Mexican immigrant who attended 
the meeting, said he knows his loyalty to the U.S., as a naturalized 
citizen, will be questioned.

But "as descendants of Mexicans and citizens of the United States, we 
feel it is our responsibility to create bridges of understanding because 
the anti-Mexican mood in the United States is causing us – and both 
countries – much harm," he said. "What do we have to lose anymore? We've 
been beaten up to the point that all we can do is fight back. ... Things 
will get worse before they get better."

Foreign Ministry officials called the meeting part of a strategy by 
President Felipe Calderón to "reinforce consultations and communications 
with organizations dedicated to the defense of the rights of migrants."

Quiet diplomacy has failed, said those at the Mexico City meeting. As 
evidence, they pointed to what they call the "venomous" immigration 
debate and the death of legislation this summer to overhaul U.S. 
immigration laws.

"There is a sense that nothing will happen in the next two years in the 
U.S. Congress, so Mexican immigrants are determined to keep the issue 
alive and defend themselves with efforts like funding their own 
anti-defamation league," Andres Rozental, a former Mexican ambassador 
and private consultant, told The Dallas Morning News last month. "That 
in itself is quite an impressive statement."

A more vigorous defense of immigrants, over time, might bring 
politicians back to the negotiating table, some said.

The Mexico City meeting took place Sept. 15, the start of Mexico's 
Independence Day festivities. Hours later, at the National Palace, Mr. 
Calderón gave the traditional grito of independence from Spain. Revelers 
in Dallas viewed a taped message in which Mr. Calderón boldly expressed 
his disappointment over the "lack of political goodwill" that led to the 
failure of an immigration overhaul.

Nationwide crackdown

The tension created by Congress' failure to overhaul a broken 
immigration system is evident in cities across the country – where local 
and state governments are taking it upon themselves to address problems 
created by illegal immigration.

Some 41 states, including Texas, have stiffened requirements for 
driver's licenses, placing a tourniquet on the ability of illegal 
immigrants to get what many workers consider an invaluable document. 
Scores of small communities have passed ordinances to crack down on day 
laborer sites. And still others, such as Farmers Branch, have adopted 
tough rental housing measures that have been challenged by U.S. lawyers.

In Irving – where one out of three people is foreign-born – deportations 
have soared to about 300 a month since city police began more rigorous 
interaction with federal immigration officers a year ago.

When Mexican Consul Enrique Hubbard Urrea heard reports that police had 
been targeting common areas in apartment complexes, asking people about 
their immigration status, the former ambassador spread the word in the 
immigrant community to stay out of Irving.

Community protests began, followed by cheers from residents against 
illegal immigration.

Eduardo Rea, spokesman for the Dallas Mexican consul and a key diplomat 
in that office, said they are very worried about the rights of 
immigrants in Irving.

"We are trying to defend the rights of the people and at the same time, 
go to more forums so that people understand the law and know that they 
have to respect it. And obviously, [make sure] that they understand 
their rights."

Mexico-born Elvia Wallace Martínez, a naturalized U.S. citizen who runs 
a family learning center in Irving, said she "didn't expect this to 
happen here."

"They hate us now," said Ms. Wallace Martínez.

Illegal immigrants now face the most significant crackdown in the U.S. 
in decades.

In the first 10 months of this fiscal year, Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement carried out more than 220,000 illegal immigrant removals – 
or roughly the population of Plano. That's nearly double the number in 
fiscal year 2001, according to ICE statistics.

Mexico has a mixed record in defending its workers in the United States, 
note historians and immigrant advocates.

In the 1930s, Mexico defended Mexicans and their U.S. citizen children 
in the San Diego, Calif., area when a school district tried to send 
those children to separate and inferior schools. The case was the first 
successful legal challenge to school segregation, said Paul Espinosa, an 
Arizona State University professor and filmmaker who produced a 
documentary on the episode called the Lemon Grove Incident.

"The 1930s is a period where they were quite active," Dr. Espinosa said 
of the Mexican consulates. "It was quite challenging. They had to be 
active without appearing to be active."

And so it is now, the professor said.

Will it be funded?

Still, it remains unclear how richly the Mexican government will finance 
its plan. Many Mexican consulates have complained for years about being 
strapped for resources. In Dallas, the last two Mexican consuls have 
repeatedly announced plans to shutter their overcrowded offices off 
Stemmons Freeway for something more spacious.

The Foreign Ministry, in a prepared statement to The News, reiterated 
its commitment to consulates and said it would move the Dallas office 
into a larger space. It also said it has approved two more consulate 
offices, one in Boise, Idaho, and another in Anchorage, Alaska.

Still, other questions remain.

Primitivo Rodríguez, a Mexico City resident who attended the meeting, 
said he worries that it's too late for the Mexican government to try a 
new strategy, and many Mexicans may soon be returning to a country 
unable to provide good-paying jobs.

"There is a tsunami, not a thunderstorm, coming toward us, and I don't 
think the government has a plan," said Mr. Rodríguez, coordinator of the 
Coalition for the Political Rights of Mexicans Abroad, which has members 
in Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston. "What will Mexico do with so many 
unhappy, desperate people? Mexico is simply not prepared for what's 
coming next."


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