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Consulate signs accord to help Mexican laborers in U.S.
By SARA INÉS CALDERÓN
The Brownsville Herald

September 28, 2006 - The immigration reform that was at the top of Mexican President Vicente Fox’s agenda in 2000, foiled by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and taking on a new form since then, has finally arrived in Brownsville.

“We’ve looked for ways to institutionalize bilateral relations,” said Juan Bosco Marti, general director for North America with the Secretary of Foreign Relations (SRE in Spanish).

Fox aimed to make life for Mexicans in the United States better, Bosco said, and once the possibility of immigration reform evaporated in the face of terrorism, the Mexican government sought “other mechanisms” to accomplish this goal.

Bosco was in Brownsville Wednesday to sign a local accord with U.S. Department of Labor officials from Dallas that would apply to the construction and service industries.

The accord is part of a bi-national effort between the SRE and the Labor Department to inform Mexican workers in the United States of workplace laws and protect them from abuses, Bosco said. The original document was signed in 2004 by the head of the SRE, Luis Ernesto Derbez Bautista, and Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao.

Atlanta was the first local accord signed with the hope of expanding the protections for Mexican workers by focusing on the distinct reality of each consulate, Bosco said. In Atlanta, for example, the consulate and the Labor Department were present, but so was Georgia Tech, a key player for Mexican workers in the area, he said.

In Brownsville, the local version of this accord focuses on the construction and service industries, Bosco said. It is the 18th consulate to sign such an accord out of a total of 47 in the United States, he said.

But immigration reform is still on Mexico’s agenda, Bosco said. Although the United States is a sovereign nation, border security and immigration are issues that require both countries to work together, he said.

Mexico must create more jobs and stability so nationals don’t feel the need to migrate, Bosco explained, while the U.S. immigration system is broken because of a lack of work visas spurring illegal immigration.

“The immigration phenomenon is an issue that is here to stay,” Bosco said. “The way we confront the challenge of border security and the challenge of immigration is a shared responsibility. Each party has to do their part.”

sicalderon@brownsvilleherald.com



Posted on Sep 28, 06 | 12:00 am