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.

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