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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | October 2007 
Mexico Ramps Up Immigrant Support
 Dallas Morning News
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 |  | They have come out before saying it is wrong for us to meddle in Mexico's affairs. 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.
- Jean Towell |  | |
The Mexican government is giving its consulates in the U.S. more resources and wide latitude to ramp up a campaign to toughen its defense of immigrants, officials familiar with the strategy said.
The move comes as deportations reach an all-time high and 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 already demanding a crackdown on immigration, both legal and illegal.
Jean Towell, the 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 nationals, half of whom live in an "irregular migratory situation."
Mark Krikorian, the 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." |
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