Posted on 01/04/2005 5:10:26 PM PST by nanak
MONTERREY, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexico on Tuesday defended a government comic book showing illegal migrants how to cross the border and live quietly in the United States against charges that it promotes undocumented immigration.
The 32-page color primer, published by Mexico's foreign ministry in December, gives would-be migrants tips including how to swim across the Rio Grande and avoid dehydration in the desert. It also sets out their legal rights on detention.
Some U.S. groups and newspaper editorial writers have slammed the booklet as a "how-to" manual for 1 million or more Mexicans who attempt the illegal crossing each year.
"It's reminiscent of the instructions to al Qaeda operatives to help their terrorists keep a low profile in safe houses in Britain," Ric Oltman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform told Reuters.
But Mexico's foreign ministry said the booklet was an attempt to save lives and inform migrants of the legal consequences of entering the United States.
"Last year over 300 Mexicans died in their attempt to enter the United States in search of a job and the government has the obligation to avoid that," Geronimo Gutierrez, the ministry's undersecretary for North American affairs told Reuters.
"The guide clearly states that the safe and appropriate way to enter any country is with a valid passport and a visa, and in no way promotes undocumented immigration," he added.
The official said some 1.5 million copies of the pamphlet had been distributed to several states in central Mexico with high migration rates.
The booklet urges migrants to wear light clothing to make their swim across border rivers easier and suggests they add salt to water to avoid dehydration while crossing the deserts that form much of the 2,000-mile frontier.
It also informs migrants of their rights to medical and consular attention if they are detained by U.S. officials.
Using graphic sequences depicting baseball-cap wearing family members, it counsels Mexicans who succeed in reaching the United States to avoid bar brawls, drunken driving and domestic violence.
Gutierrez said the guide sets out "the rights that any Mexican has regardless of their migratory status, based on United States and international law."
That is a good idea.
They have to keep it simple. Quite a few are functionally illiterate. Quite a few from the southernmost states don't speak much Spanish either. They use the local Indian dialects instead.
Yeah, but they could only get poor little Sally to consult on the content. It's not her fault, though, she's just a little girl...
Than how in the world are they hired by these businesses?
Wow! The lady on page 18 is REALLY decked out for work!
People from a particular village tend to head for the same locations. Some of them know enough Spanish to act as spokesmen for the rest.
Translation, anyone?.
This comic book should be on the front page of every newspaper in the nation. I think it would activate a lot of people to get this immigration fiasco under control. Perhaps we can find out just how free our press is?
Well, let's see what we have here.
1. An young woman of *very* firm..uh..geez..umm..shall we say resolve? Who is wearing some kind of spandex/lycra undergarment to work.
2. A young Joseph Stalin feeling the stresses of his job.
3. A third individual who reminds me very strongly of person who used to play a mounted policeman on a CBC program.
I have nothing. Translation please!
It's just a short list of their rights if caught. Food, water, medical attention, lawyer, etc.
See Dick bail. See Jane bail. See Taxpayers bail. See California burn.
I wonder, will pirhana survive in the Rio Grande? Crocodiles?
Yeah, hey....my secretary looks nothing like that.
Why do the illegals get all the secretaries with no underwear...?
The ultimate outrage of all this is that it will become a 1/4 mile wide swath that will ultimately be turned into a toll road and a superhighway for all the Illegal Immigrants looking for easy access to America. This is what the FTAA is all about and the taxpayers are being set up to pay for this slick boondoggle!
(I'm not too sure about the groin part....lol)
Tus derechos son:
Your rights are:
Saber donde te encuentras.
Knowing where find you.
Pedir que te permitan comunicarte con un representante del Consulado de Mexico mas cercano, para que recibas apoyo.
Asking that they permit you to communicate you with a representative of the Consulate of Mexico but nearby, so that receive support.
No declarar o firmar documentos, sobre todo si estan en ingles, sin la asesoria de un abogado defensor o representante del Consulado Mexicano.
Declare not or to sign documents, above all if they are in groins, without the asesoria of a defense attorney or representative of the Mexican Consulate
Sounds a lot like "don't listen to anything they say until you speak to someone from the Mexican Consulate"
That's what I figured. Just having some fun.
I think they've been watching those Spanish TV stations too much. All the women on those look like this.
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