Thread: Mexico's first lady speaks at Denver fund-raiser

It's not enough to have Felipe nosing into our politics; we need his wife making the circuit too??

Mexico's first lady speaks at Denver fund-raiser
By Tom McGhee
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 03/05/2008 06:28:22 PM MST


First Lady of Mexico Margarita Zavala speaks Wednesday, March 5, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Denver. (THE DENVER POST | MARK T. OSLER)

Thousands of Mexican children cross into the United States without their parents, and many of them are never reunited with their families, Mexico's first lady, Margarita Zavala, said today.

"The problem is largely ignored by the media and the powerful," she said at a fund-raiser for Project C.U.R.E., which sends medical supplies to Mexico and other developing nations.

Zavala, wife of Mexican President Felipe Calderon, told about 1,800 people at the luncheon in Denver that she wants to raise awareness about the problem.

"I am not here to talk about immigration policy .... this is about children," she added.

The U.S. deports about 50,000 children to Mexico each year and about 22,000 of them are unaccompanied by parents.

"Behind those numbers are families and individuals that have a face and a name," she said.

While many of them cross the border on their own, some start the journey with parents and later become separated. She told the story of a 7-year-old girl who left Oaxaca with her mother looking for her father.

The smugglers who took them to Arizona and separated the children from the adults, and then abandoned the kids in a church when they reached their destination. It took four months for the mother to find her child.

Many children aren't so lucky, Zavala said. "Many migrant children never find their parents."

Project C.U.R.E. invited Zavala to Denver for the event, which will benefit the flood-ravaged states of Chiapas and Tabasco, and other areas of Mexico.

Zavala, a former member of the Mexican legislature and a lawyer, has been involved in an effort to improve Mexico's health care system, said W. Douglas Jackson, president of Project C.U.R.E., which is headquartered in Centennial.

Calderon wants to improve access to health care in Mexico, particularly for poor people who live in medically underserved rural areas, Zavala said.

The need is particularly great in Chiapas and Tabasco, where 2 million people were displaced by floods last October. "Rural hospitals were flooded to the ceiling," said Jeannie Ritter, wife of Gov. Bill Ritter, who attended today's luncheon at the Hyatt Regency at the Convention Center in Denver.

Chiapas and Tabasco "suffered one of the worst disasters in the history of Mexico," said Zavala.

Project C.U.R.E. is a non-profit relief organization that collects donated medical supplies and equipment and delivers them to developing countries.

The fund-raiser was expected to raise up to $5 million for Mexico.

The money would pay for 10 full cargo containers of equipment and supplies, Jackson said.

The luncheon was sponsored by the Coors Brewing Co., ProLogis, and other corporations.

Tom McGhee: (303)954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_8464723

Why is she fundraising here? We've done way too much for Mexico already, heck more than half of them are here!

The smugglers who took them to Arizona and separated the children from the adults, and then abandoned the kids in a church when they reached their destination. It took four months for the mother to find her child.

Many children aren't so lucky, Zavala said. "Many migrant children never find their parents."

I'm sorry, but I believe you're speaking to the wrong folks. Shouldn't you be making your speeches in Mexico? You should be attempting to stop the problem at the source. In other words, "nip it in the bud" before it becomes a problem - stop the children from crossing the border!

The smugglers who took them to Arizona and separated the children from the adults, and then abandoned the kids in a church when they reached their destination. It took four months for the mother to find her child.

Many children aren't so lucky, Zavala said. "Many migrant children never find their parents."

Gee, what might have happened if they didn't pass the border, breaking our laws? Might have been wise to stay in Mexico when you're a Mexican! (or to any other illegal, stay in your own country! or don't fall out of status here!).

Didn't Bush just give Mexico 1.4bn or is that still pending?

I can now picture the first lady of Mexico along with the first lady of the US, Brenda McCain sharing many drugs together. Hopefully their new ones won't be stolen as in the past.

We need to change the name from First Lady to First Tart.

It just goes to show you that you can be rich, corrupt and in charge of a nation and still be a beggar.

Originally Posted by MountainDog

Didn't Bush just give Mexico 1.4bn or is that still pending?

Last I heard it was still pending, but nothing was being done to stop it. I have written both my senators asking for an update, but have, as yet, received no reply.

Thousands of Mexican children cross into the United States without their parents, and many of them are never reunited with their families, Mexico's first lady, Margarita Zavala, said today.

What age are the "children" she is speaking of--21, 25, ?

Ridiculous .....while on the one hand MExico portrays itself as a first world, modern nation with a huge economy.....the other hand is in our country begging for money to fund programs that much of the 50 billion dollars in remittances would cover. Give me a break. Why don't they go beg in Russia or better yet in China?