Thread: IL: Tense times hit home at Mex. Consulate {sob}

One good thing -sounds like the 'immigrant' groups are fighting amongst themselves. Margaret Carrasco, from my own Waukegan is sending a formal complaint to Pres. Calderon. She tends to do that a lot. She has made so much trouble in Waukegan. Sounds like the illegal aliens are complaining that they are not getting their ID's soon enough so they can get passports and services.



chicagotribune.com
Tense times hit home at Mexican Consulate

By Antonio Olivo, TRIBUNE REPORTER Tribune correspondent Oscar Avila contributed to this report

February 9, 2008

In a diplomatic career during which he has charmed the elite of six different countries, Manuel Rodriguez Arriaga, Mexico's courtly consul general in Chicago, isn't used to being called "profoundly incompetent" and "arrogant."

But on this assignment, the well-polished ambassador is dealing with an energetic -- and sometimes impatient -- community of 700,000 countrymen, many of whom are as active in trying to shape Mexican politics as they have been in protesting U.S. immigration policy.

That activism is again flaring up on the eve of a visit to Chicago by Mexican President Felipe Calderon next week, part of a long-awaited U.S. tour that will also include Los Angeles, New York and Boston.

As he prepares for the president's visit, Rodriguez is dealing with the fallout of a formal complaint some Chicago organizers sent to Calderon that argues the consul general is incapable of responding to increasing demands for services.

Critics complain about an average wait of two months to begin processing Mexican passports and other documents. They also say Rodriguez is out of touch.

Others see the grievances as a symptom of lingering ill will over Calderon's narrow 2006 election, which created fissures in Chicago and left opponents calling Calderon's government illegitimate.

While the consulate works to subdue the quarrel before Calderon arrives, the complaints have stirred up memories of crowds lined up for hours outside the oldMichigan Avenue offices.

Inside the current Near West Side consulate -- where the diplomatic office moved in 2004 for more space -- Rodriguez seemed irked during a recent interview, reacting to a stream of negative press in Spanish-language media.

New policies stir demand

Rodriguez arrived in Chicago in April, fresh from a post as consul general in Miami. The average wait for an appointment here was four months when he started, he noted. He has reduced the wait, he said, even as new U.S. policy requiring a passport for travel between the U.S. and Mexico has sent demands for documents soaring.

While laying out plans for more efficiency, he characterized his detractors as "a very minor group" of activists seeking to foul his government's relations with the second-largest Mexican community in the U.S.[]

Most Chicago-area Mexicans recognize the consulate is "marching in a good direction," he argued. "They want the president of Mexico to come and connect with Chicago."

The publicity surrounding the complaints has tapped into political fault lines that often run unseen, under the unified push for U.S. immigration reform.

Between marches and lobbying for new legislation in the U.S., some local activists formed an "alternative consulate" in 2006 to protest Calderon's government.

Loyalists, meanwhile, started anIllinois chapter of the president's National Action Party, or PAN.

"The motive behind these complaints is this: There is a group that does not recognize the Mexican consulate," said activist Jose Artemio Arreola, who has defended Rodriguez. "They don't want to say that publicly."

The tensions began when nearly 20 immigrant groups in Illinois and Wisconsin sent a formal complaint to Calderon last month.

Though his predecessor, Carlos Manuel Sada Solano, also struggled with service issues, Rodriguez has been more aloof, critics charge.

That has particularly frustrated activists pushing the consulate to fight the U.S. crackdown on illegal immigration.

With more families living in fear of raids, "We really need a consulate that is going to be more aggressive," said Margaret Carrasco, a Waukegan activist who helped draft the complaint.

The protest letter reminded the president of the millions of dollars in annual remittances that come from Chicago, while personally attacking Rodriguez. It called the button-down ambassador, whose resume includes posts in China, Belgium and Iceland, "rude" and "clumsy."

That prompted an outcry from immigrant groups who work with the government, both in Mexican economic development and as advisers to the administration.

"There are different ways to demand better services," said Salvador Pedroza, president of theLittle Village Chamber of Commerce and head of the local PAN organization. "You do it with respect."

A push for better service

Still, many agreed the Ashland Avenue consulate is stretched thin. Its staff of 90 serves Illinois, Wisconsin and portions ofIndiana.

Last year, the consulate processed 175,000 documents, serving about of 150 people a day -- 20 percent more work than in 2006, Rodriguez said.

"We are going to improve service, but the demand continues," he said.

With several other consulates in the U.S. also struggling, Calderon himself weighed in with promises.

"We are constantly following up on their concerns," Calderon said of local immigrant groups during a Tribune interview this week.

A recent spike in demand inside most consulates stems largely from new U.S. regulations requiring more documents during international travel, he said.

In Chicago, Mexican officials plan to launch a second "mobile consulate" charged with traveling to distant immigrant neighborhoods every month to help with documents and other issues. Officials also plan to enhance "protection services" to help with deportation cases and other legal problems.

In hopes of a broader solution, the Mexican congress is considering redirecting consulate funds so that more money stays in the United States. Currently, a portion of consulate fees pays for government programs in Mexico.

Such improvements couldn't come soon enough for Jose Renteria.

On a recent morning, hours before community leaders met with Rodriguez to help prepare for Calderon's visit, Renteria stood inside the crowded lobby with others hoping to get their consular ID cards renewed. Demand for such IDs -- used by legal and illegal immigrants for bank loans and other services -- has steadily escalated.

Renteria said he'd been waiting for an hour after calling two months ahead for his 10:30 a.m. appointment. Gauging the line, the construction worker predicted he'd wait another hour, meaning he'd miss work.

"I've lost the whole day," Renteria said as he watched more people walk in.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... &cset=true

Originally Posted by fedupinwaukegan

One good thing -sounds like the 'immigrant' groups are fighting amongst themselves. Margaret Carrasco, from my own Waukegan is sending a formal complaint to Pres. Calderon. She tends to do that a lot. She has made so much trouble in Waukegan. Sounds like the illegal aliens are complaining that they are not getting their ID's soon enough so they can get passports and services.

I think it is also great that they want Mexican passports and birth certificates for their US born children. That will make it much easier for them to move back to Mexico.

These people such as Calderon are shameless. If they had any pride in their country, they wouldn't be whining for U.S. taxpayers to prop up their failing country of Mexico.

I find it odd that Calderon has the money to send Mexican lawyers here to its consulates to fight us in court (his new campaign policy) while he can't even staff his consulates to meet the basic needs of his illegals.

Mexican politics really sucks.

Others see the grievances as a symptom of lingering ill will over Calderon's narrow 2006 election, which created fissures in Chicago and left opponents calling Calderon's government illegitimate.

Some Mexicans still don't recognize Calderon as the president of Mexico. Former President Fox passed over charge of the Mexican government to Calderon in a midnight, behind closed doors ceremony.
This suggests to me Mexicans living in America are voting in Mexican elections. Amnesty would allow those of Mexican nationality to vote both in US and Mexican elections---very dangerous--Mexican government policy would heavily influence American government policy.

Lopez Obrador, of the Democratic Revolution Party, or PRD, claims he was robbed of the presidency and has declared himself Mexico's "legitimate president." In September, the Federal Electoral Tribunal declared Calderon the winner of the disputed race by less than a percentage point.

After the inauguration, Lopez Obrador led tens of thousands of supporters down Mexico City's elegant Reforma Avenue, the same boulevard they occupied for weeks this summer to protest Calderon's victory. Carrying banners that read "Lopez Obrador is president," the sea of people gathered outside the heavily guarded National Auditorium.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-12-01-mexico-

MEXICO CITY (AP) — In an unusual midnight ceremony marking what he called the start of his inauguration, Felipe Calderon swore in part of his Cabinet and took charge of Mexico's presidential residence on Friday. He pledged to take the formal oath of office later Friday morning at a Congress partially seized by lawmakers who are trying to block the inaugural ceremony........
Absent from the closed-door midnight ceremony were the angry protesters who have pledged to block the inauguration, but former leftist presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador — who claims Calderon used fraud to win the July 2 elections — had already called on supporters to meet early Friday in Mexico City's main square.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006 ... xico_x.htm


"When in Mexico the U.S. State Department reminds U.S. citizens to avoid participating in demonstrations and other activities that might be deemed political by Mexican authorities. The Mexican Constitution prohibits political activities by foreigners, and such actions may result in detention and/or deportation."U.S. State Department

May I ask what kind of passports these consulates are handing out!! Does anyone know??

Originally Posted by SOSADFORUS

May I ask what kind of passports these consulates are handing out!! Does anyone know??

Sosad, I would assume Mexican passports. Mexican consulates cannot issue US passports. Is that the answer you were looking for?

Originally Posted by Ex_OC

Originally Posted by SOSADFORUS

May I ask what kind of passports these consulates are handing out!! Does anyone know??

Sosad, I would assume Mexican passports. Mexican consulates cannot issue US passports. Is that the answer you were looking for?

Can they use those passports to come back into the USA if they go to Mexico or out of our country ?

Originally Posted by USPatriot

Originally Posted by Ex_OC

Originally Posted by SOSADFORUS

May I ask what kind of passports these consulates are handing out!! Does anyone know??

Sosad, I would assume Mexican passports. Mexican consulates cannot issue US passports. Is that the answer you were looking for?

Can they use those passports to come back into the USA if they go to Mexico or out of our country ?

Yes, as long as the US Embassy in their country (Mexico) issues them a travel visa, which is hard to get. So they are not using it to go back to Mexico coz they know they won't be able to get a US visa to come back.

I think the reason they want Mexican passports is not to go back to Mexico, but to be able to board planes for travel within the US. Since a valid govt issued ID is needed to board planes and they cannot get DLs here, they can use passports (from any country).

[quote=Ex_OC]

Originally Posted by USPatriot

Originally Posted by "Ex_OC":6xh1qcbn

Originally Posted by SOSADFORUS

May I ask what kind of passports these consulates are handing out!! Does anyone know??

Sosad, I would assume Mexican passports. Mexican consulates cannot issue US passports. Is that the answer you were looking for?

Can they use those passports to come back into the USA if they go to Mexico or out of our country ?

Yes, as long as the US Embassy in their country (Mexico) issues them a travel visa, which is hard to get. So they are not using it to go back to Mexico coz they know they won't be able to get a US visa to come back.

I think the reason they want Mexican passports is not to go back to Mexico, but to be able to board planes for travel within the US. Since a valid govt issued ID is needed to board planes and they cannot get DLs here, they can use passports (from any country).[/quote:6xh1qcbn]


Isn't this making it look like they are here legal or condoning their action of being here illegaly by a foreign government .