Posted on 01/02/2005 3:26:22 PM PST by wagglebee
The government of Mexico is raising eyebrows with a new comic book offering advice on how to cross the border into the U.S. illegally.
Called "The Guide for the Mexican Migrant," the 32-page book published by Mexico's Foreign Ministry uses simple language to offer information on safety, legal rights and living unobtrusively in America.
"This guide is intended to give you some practical advice that could be of use if you have made the difficult decision to seek new work opportunities outside your country," the book says, according to the Arizona Republic.
Illustrations depict illegals wading into a river, trying to evade U.S. Border Patrol and crouching near a hole in a border fence. Immigrants are also shown hiking through the desert with rock formations similar to those in Arizona and being caught by an American agent.
Among the tips offered:
"Try to walk during times when the heat is not as intense";
"Salt water helps you retain your body's liquids. Although you'll feel thirstier, if you drink water with salt the risk of dehydration is much lower";
"Thick clothing increases your weight when wet, and this makes it difficult to swim or float." It also says if migrants get lost, they should follow train tracks or power lines. It warns of walking for days to reach towns or roads in the desert.
If caught by Border Patrol, the book says, "Don't throw stones or objects at the officer or patrol vehicles because this is considered a provocation. Raise your hands slowly so they see you are unarmed."
It also recommends not running away from agents in pursuit.
"It's better to be detained a few hours and repatriated to Mexico than to get lost in the desert," the guide states.
The book includes a disclaimer stating it doesn't promote crossing the border illegally, but it doesn't give information about legal steps to seek a U.S. visa.
Immigration-control groups are not thrilled about the guide.
"This is more than just a wink and a nod," Rick Oltman, Western field director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform told the Republic. "This is so transparent, this is the Mexican government trying to protect its most valuable export, which is illegal migrants."
John Vincent, with Virginia-based Americans for Immigration Control, said, "It really looks like the Mexican government is encouraging illegal immigration. It shows the contempt that the Mexican government has for our laws."
The Mexican consul general of Phoenix, Carlos Flores Vizcarra, said the reality is many migrants will try to cross the border illegally, and the book appears to be a means of protection.
"This is nothing new. It's a way to put it in very simple terms so people will understand the risks," he told the paper. "The intention is out of concern for human rights. People are doing it anyway. We cannot ignore that there is a very big migration between our two countries, and people who are coming to work need to understand the risks."
Humberto Morales, 22, is an illegal immigrant from Mexico now working as a day laborer in Phoenix, and says the guide seems to have a mixed message.
"On the one hand they seem to be saying, 'Don't cross,' but on the other hand they are saying, 'Cross.'"
The Mexican government produces a similar book aimed at Central American immigrants who try to enter Mexico illegally. The book covers much of the same information about legal rights and repeats many of the warnings. It even shows a group of migrants struggling to breathe inside a truck.
But that book doesn't give the same kind of safety tips on crossing the border or advise immigrants on how to live peacefully in Mexico.
Marksmanship training coloring books come to mind.
But that's just me.
<< We need to seal the border and let Vincente Fox know that we are ready to cut off every penny in aid he gets from the United States. >>
We aught also mandate the proof of an acceptable provenance for all cash transfers out of the US and/or force all transferring agencies -- banks, credit unions, Amex, western Union to collect a substantial witholding tax -- 50%, say -- on every unexplained foreign remittance.
one of the big selling points of the (lame-duck fast-track) Bush 41 administration NAFTA deal was that it would greatly alleviate illegal mexican border-jumping......since that time it has skyrocketed!
Add insult to injury we give aid to them to top it all off?
golly maybe we should have voted for fox, he seems to be in control over this country anyway (sarcasm big time)(not to mention anger big time)
That's because they expect they'll keep on going north, of course.
Mexico, the enemy within (along with leftists).
I'm afraid to ask, What next???
I'm really starting to hate the government of Mexico. They need to be taking care of their own people, not "outsourcing' them here.
They can afford it! Even though they could only muster 100 grand for the Tsunami victims.
Mexico has more "Forbes" billionaires, 11, than all but eight other nations. It has more billionaires than Saudi Arabia, Switzerland or Taiwan. It also has more than 85,000 millionaires.
On top of that , according to Visa International who wants a share of the transfer fees, money sent south of the border by illegals here constitute $38 BILLION this year. Mexico's second largest industry.
Aired 12/16/04 On CNN
DOBBS: Tonight, an estimated 15 million illegal aliens live in this country, at least half of them from Mexico. Many are here because they chose to flee crushing poverty in Mexico.
But, in point of fact, Mexico is one of the richest countries in Latin America, amongst -- the millionaires, billionaires and its wealth concentrated in the hands of very few.
Casey Wian reports from Los Angeles.
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They sneak across the border seeking jobs they can't find in Mexico. The question isn't why they come, it's why can't Mexico's economy support its own people.
Nearly half of Mexico's population lives in poverty. Ten percent are indigent, existing on a dollar a day. Yet the nation has vast wealth. Mexico has more "Forbes" billionaires, 11, than all but eight other nations. It has more billionaires than Saudi Arabia, Switzerland or Taiwan. It also has more than 85,000 millionaires.
GEORGE W. GRAYSON, COLLEGE OF WILLIAM & MARY: There is a small economic elite who live like maharajas, and there's a political elite that protects them. Our border provides an escape valve which really lets the Mexican political and economic elite off the hook in terms of providing opportunities for their own people.
WIAN (on camera): About 10 percent of Mexico's 105 million people live here in the United States. They're called national heroes by President Vicente Fox because this year they'll send home about $16 billion, more than any Mexican industry except oil.
(voice-over): The country sits on oil reserves worth about $400 billion, but Mexico's state-owned oil company, Pemex, doesn't have the investment funds to tap those reserves, and Mexico's Congress refuses to allow foreign investment in Pemex.
Mexico's outdated tax system is plagued by widespread tax evasion. It collects taxes at less than half the rate of the United States. As a result, Mexico's public-school and health-care systems suffer. CHRIS WOODRUFF, CENTER FOR U.S.-MEXICO STUDIES: We now realize -- and particularly in a world where capitalists are mobile -- that redistribution isn't going to work, and what people focus on now instead is allowing the poor to build assets. Mexico has undertaken some programs which will allow the poor to do that. But that's not a process that changes overnight.
WIAN: Meanwhile, the gap between rich and poor is growing. So Mexico continues to export one of its most valuable assets, people.
The border area should be made a free fire zone for both civilian and law enforcement marksmanship. After the rumor spreads, the sealing of the border would become much easier.
The Mexican Government is obscene
In case you missed it, you'll appreciate this one.
Mayor says immigration keeps Mexico from social unrest
MEXIDATA.INFO ^ | 12/28/2004 | Manuel Durán
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1312126/posts
BTTT
In case anyone asks about Mexico's immigration policies:
****
Prop. 200-style system already law in Mexico
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1019Reverse19.html
Chris Hawley
Republic Mexico City Bureau
Oct. 19, 2004 12:00 AM
MEXICO CITY - The provisions of Proposition 200 have stirred up a storm of debate in Arizona. But here in Mexico, they're already the law.
Arizona's contentious ballot proposal would require proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote and proof of legal residency when applying for government benefits.
In Mexico, it has been that way for years. Only in hospitals are Mexico's laws more lenient about checking immigration documents. advertisement
To see if the requirements are being enforced, a Republic reporter (a U.S. citizen with legal residency in Mexico), went to six public agencies and two schools in Mexico City to inquire about services and registering to vote.
Almost every official asked to see proof of Mexican citizenship or an FM3 visa, the document that allows a person to live in Mexico. Often, it was the first question asked.
"Every agency has its own regulations, but generally, that's the rule. To receive these government services, you have to prove you are in the country legally," said Victoria Hernández, a spokeswoman for the Mexican Secretariat of Government, which oversees immigration.
Those same requirements have set off a furious debate in Arizona.
Opponents of Proposition 200, which will be on the Nov. 2 ballot, say it will turn state employees into immigration agents, build a culture of fear in government offices and create a public health risk by discouraging undocumented immigrants from seeking medical care.
Supporters say the measure will protect the election process and cut expenses by keeping undocumented immigrants from seeking benefits.
The Mexican government has been mostly silent on the issue. In one of the few public statements about Proposition 200, Mexico's undersecretary of foreign affairs for North America, Geronimo Gutiérrez, would say only that the Foreign Ministry "remains very attentive to how this measure is developing."
The Mexican media, usually strident on immigrant issues, has also mostly ignored Proposition 200.
---snip----
You can be sure that the banking industry will be opposed to halting illegal immigration. Several, Wa. Mutual, Wells Fargo, Bankof America and more contribute to MALDEF.
*****
Lou Dobbs Show/CNN/Aired 12/28/04
And Visa targets immigrant workers in a new ad campaign. But some say the program pose poses a security risk to this country.
PILGRIM: Visa International is launching an aggressive campaign to convince Latin American migrant workers to use plastic to send money back home. Now, Visa hopes to take over some of the money transfer business from companies like Western Union and Moneygram. Critics say using debit cards to transfer money raises new security concerns. Lisa Sylvester has the story.
LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT : Visa, it's everywhere you want to be, and in some places, you may not expect it to be. Visa International is targeting migrant and other workers from Latin America as its new favorite customer. The company is marketing its smart card that works as a prepaid debit card. Workers in the United States can easily transfer money to relatives abroad at a low cost. The banking industry hopes to tap into the remittance payment market that has been growing at an astronomical pace.
MANUEL OROZCO, INTER-AMERICAN DIALOGUE: In 2001, it is total volume of remittances to Latin American was $18 billion, and it grew to $38 billion three years later.
SYLVESTER: Wire services, including Western Union and Moneygram so far have dominated the $38 billion money-transfer market. A recent study found that 86 percent of remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean were cash transfers, 4 percent home delivery, 4 percent bank or credit union deposit, and 1 percent debit or smart card. Not everyone agrees that banking institutions make it easier to send money out of the country. Critics say nearly $40 billion a year exiting the United States is not small change, and leaves less money for some of the poorest U.S. communities. And there's also a potential security risk.
MARK KRIKORIAN, CENTER FOR IMMIGRATION STUDIES: Immigrant remittances are one of the ways bad guys can transfer money across borders because even though most of that money is completely innocent, people working jobs and sending money home, it can serve as cover for terrorists, other kinds of criminals to move money.
SYLVESTER: But Visa and other credit card companies are charging forward, reaching into one of the few untapped markets.
SYLVESTER: The banking industry is convinced it can capture more of the market because its costs tend to be lower than traditional wire transfers. The bank costs as little as $8 a transfer, using the smart cards, and on the other hand, wire services can cost up to $25 a transfer. Kitty?
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0412/28/ldt.01.html
How can we expect to stop these people when Fox is giving them how to instructions. It time Mr. Bush put his foot down.
Which would become a great excuse for dumping victims of all sorts. What's needed, as in any plan, are reliable men. You need set of rangers, who will not shoot first, but who will defend the border as necessary. Maybe a federal agency. Maybe a pseudo-private agency. Fold the INS border police right into that and take the best of them.
Doesn't the US have bases in Mexico? If so, that would be the ideal processing station for repatriating such foreign citizens. I'd hesitate to suggest a bounty/live head since it might encourage those to snatch people and claim they were border-crossers who were not. But if run by responsible and duly sworn rangers, well trained, with full military support all along the border from CA to TX, and with processing on US soil in Mexico itself, I think it might help make the point and stem that tide.
The only "immigration reform" I want to see.
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