As Expats Visit, Fox Vows Smooth Return
 Alfredo Corchado - Dallas Morning News
| | From December to January, Mexican President Vicente Fox plans to station volunteers at checkpoints, such as the border crossing between Santa Teresa, N.M., and San Jerónimo, Chihuahua, to ensure visiting expatriates aren't mistreated. The trip was about to get messy, he warned. (Christ Chavez) |
Ciudad Juárez, Mexico – The easy part of the journey was over for the Ramírez family. Now, as they crossed into Mexico, arriving at the checkpoint known as Kilometer 30, the father, Antonio Ramírez, mockingly made the sign of the cross.
"They have no shame," said Mr. Ramírez, referring to Mexican customs agents, notorious for shaking down the hundreds of thousands of emigrants who make their way back to their native Mexican states to spend the holidays.
The Ramírezes – husband, wife and three children – were heading back to Durango from Midland, Texas. But first came the ritualistic visit to the customs office to get a temporary vehicle-import permit to bring in their 2002 Chevy van, complete with speakers blaring Cumbia King music.
The family is among the 1.3 million expatriates who annually head home from the United States, and they are part of a phenomenon that inspired President Vicente Fox this month to announce the 2005 Paisano – countryman – program. Mr. Fox designated Dec. 18 Day of the Migrant and said he would lead a borderwide operation to protect returning migrants, whom he dubbed heroes.
"Watch out," he warned. "Whoever we catch mistreating our countrymen, we will use the full force of the law."
Each year, Mexican expatriates begin the trek home around Thanksgiving. Most stay through the Christmas holidays. They come from Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles and dozens of other U.S. cities.
Mr. Fox and 1,300 volunteers will help ensure that those paisanos are not victimized by unscrupulous agents. Between December and early January, the volunteers will be stationed at airports, highways, checkpoints and bus stations.
The caravans heading to Mexican hometowns make for an extraordinary sight, especially at night as a sea of headlights snake toward Mexico's urban centers and rural villages. The visitors revive many almost-abandoned communities with parties, church celebrations and rodeos – before the journey north begins anew.
In the town of Villa Ahumada in Chihuahua state, 22-year-old Filiberto Mora, on his way to Zacatecas, filled his new Ford truck with gas and beamed with anticipation.
"This is why we work so hard all year, the idea of coming home in a new car, with gifts and a few dollars to spend," said Mr. Mora, employed in Anaheim, Calif., as a busboy.
That, he said, and "my mother's flour gorditas and the dances that last till 6 a.m., when the roosters crow."
Mr. Fox's job is to keep such fond memories from turning sour, as has been the case for many returning migrants, who over the years have reported just about every type of abuse. The worst accusations have included assault, rape and robbery at the hands of federal agents. At the lower end are complaints about bureaucratic delays at crossing checkpoints, which can involve hours of waiting.
Such incidents worry Mexican officials, including Mr. Fox, who points to the more than $16 billion in annual remittances Mexican expatriates send home. That money keeps thousands of families economically afloat and an array of public infrastructure projects on schedule.
"The president of the republic will be traveling constantly, without anticipating the date or place, to verify that every public official is doing his job," Mr. Fox said.
That's fine with Ignacio Urquiza, 23, a customs agent in San Jerónimo, Chihuahua.
"I'm not saying abuse didn't exist before, but these days it's very difficult to pull something stupid like that," he said, pointing to new technology and referring to hidden cameras in the building. "We're held accountable like never before."
Back in Ciudad Juárez, Mr. Ramírez took care of his paperwork without hassles and walked back to his truck, where his family waited anxiously.
"Everything is fine," he told them. "Let's go."
He remained skeptical, however, about the rest of the trip. "There are a lot more checkpoints ahead of us," he said. "This isn't over yet."
For more information in Spanish, go to www.paisano.gob.mx or www.paisano.gob.mx/guiahtml.php. |
Vallarta Weddings
News Around the Republic of Mexico | November 2005 
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