Posted on 12/18/2005 7:32:18 AM PST by SwinneySwitch
MEXICO CITY — As more than 1 million immigrants living in the United States head south of the border for the holiday season, President Vicente Fox is warning that shakedowns by police or border guards won't be tolerated.
Making what has become an annual pledge to protect immigrants, whom he refers to as "heroes," Fox is taking to the airwaves to remind the returning immigrants, known as paisanos, to report corrupt police, border guards and other officials.
"My countrymen, I will personally make sure you get the treatment you deserve," Fox says in a series of public service announcements. "Welcome home."
About 1.2 million immigrants traveled south during the final weeks of December 2004, according to the federal government, and a similar number is expected this year.
The paisanos often work illegally in the U.S. and live in the shadows, but it would be hard to overestimate their value to this nation.
They send home an estimated $1 billion a month, providing much-needed cash to Mexico's struggling economy.
That influence recently won them the right to vote in Mexico's coming presidential election.
As the immigrants head home, the nation's main highways become lined with loaded-down vehicles bearing license plates from throughout the U.S.
Many Mexicans, who move to the U.S. in order to earn more money, return home for extended vacations to be reunited with their family and culture.
They're known to bear gifts, cash and other fruits of their labors in the U.S.
As a result, the journey sometimes comes with a cost, as immigrants have faced corrupt Customs officials seeking payoffs, transit police accusing them of bogus infractions and bandits who want to rob them.
Under the Paisano program, which has been around for 16 years but was upgraded under Fox, the government seeks to protect the visitors and even has dispatched police escorts to keep them out of trouble. Complaints can be filed to a toll-free number, in person, through the mail or over the Internet.
Florencia Martínez, national director of the Paisano program, said Friday that among the keys to the program is ensuring that the government's efforts are coordinated with state authorities so protections reach the whole country.
"We want the paisanos to tell us where we are not doing a good job and where we need to reinforce our operations," she said.
She said that in the past six weeks, the program received 7,000 requests for information, such as how much tax can be charged on imported merchandise, and just 28 complaints.
"I won't claim victory to the point that we have eradicated corruption," she said. "But we have advanced quite a bit."
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dschiller@express-news.net
Paisonos Ping!
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off this South Texas/Mexico ping list.
Stolen money is just that, no matter if easily taken or "earned" with hard labor.
And If they can steal a car or a truck to leave there much the better. A friend Of mine truck was stolen last week here in Texas most likley it will be used to transport others and of course drugs will be brought back to sell to pay for gas and expences.
***About 1.2 million immigrants traveled south during the final weeks of December 2004, according to the federal government, and a similar number is expected this year.***Cool.
Ah, so this explains why hotels and restaurants close, maid service is next to impossible to find and produce prices double at this time of year.
Great place for bill-boards saying "Welcome Home Now Stay Here".
A little house cleaning and cooking never hurt anyone. Great time to have a little domestic life. Send em home and keep em there!!! Mowing the lawn is great exercise and some of the best socializing we do is when we work out in our rock garden and visit with our neighbors when they come by. Kind of old fashioned I know but is is enjoyable. How many here even know their neighbors names?
Bush refers to them as "heroes" as well.
When the bill that Bush is inevitably going to have presented to him is to be signed, we will see if Bush is going to be a hero and save the GOP. I fear a veto will be the doom of the GOP.
Protectionists would believe that the sun rises in the west and that the IRS is god if required to.
They're NOT heading home for the "Holiday" season they are heading home for the "Christmas" season.
Why is it every newspaper article has to substitute "Holiday" for Christmas?
And the OBL would like to tell us that unrestricted Mexican illegal immigration is good for us. Tell it to the wind and the rain. We who live in the West and Southwest do not beg to differ. Illegal Mexicans cost money!!! Lots of money!!! Medical care, education in Spanish and incarceration expenses. Hey this is not for our own good!!! Don't try to tell me it is. It is to keep heads from rolling in Mexico!!! I would rather have a armed border than a fluid one!!! Mexico is a parasite on the USA and don't ever say this isn't true because it damn sure is!!! The rest of the nation is just starting to figure it out. You know why? Because they are starting to invade their neighborhoods. By the way Mexico protects it's own Southern border so why is it so bad that we want to cut em off at the border here? You speak like someone who is either illegal or knows a lot of people who are.
Something is wrong with this story, first there can't be corruption and crime in Mexico, they are are all hard working, law abiding fine neighbors to the south,Presidente Bush told us so. Second these people returning home should have plenty of jobs that Presidente Fox said he would make for them when he was elected. /sarcasm
Damn, I have been to Californiny. It is so over-run by illegal Mexicans that indeed it is going to be like an amputation to get rid of em. I thank the liberal CA attitude for this. Swing open the gate and let the poor Mexicans in. Now watch when they come to the Federal government and say. We are in financial trouble we need to be bailed out by the rest of the nation. In short we just adopted the civil needs of a large part of Mexico. You anti protectionist people make me want to barf. The worm is turning and the pendulum has swung. I suspect it is a good thing. A civil war is not out of the question in the future. Something has to be done now!!!
Now, there's a good start on deporting them!
Just make it impossible for them to return, and they will have "deported" themselves.
By the way lately the IRS is God on our side. You take pictures at a construction site of illegal laborers and then e-mail them to the IRS. Maybe they will show up on the job-site and make sure that all the workers are on the tax-roll. The IRS has a real big weinie when it comes to tax evaders. I never thought they would be an allie but they are indeed. Take your camera to a work site that has a lot of illegals and watch em squirm.
California's financial trouble has more to do with the California government fiscal stupidity than immigration policy.
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