Thread: Immigrants claim 'Mexican'

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/n ... 902763.htm

Posted on Mon, Jun. 26, 2006



Immigrants claim 'Mexican'
Being sent to neighbor can make return to U.S. easier -- only one border to cross
DÁNICA COTO
dcoto@charlotteobserver.com

As scrutiny on illegal immigrants intensifies nationwide, those from Central and South America find it easier to claim they're Mexican so, if they're caught, they can cross the border more readily.

The lying occurs at multiple levels: when immigrants cross the border, when they await deportation or when they visit a consulate and solicit Mexican documents in case they're arrested.

Many of these immigrants don't want to repeat their costly, treacherous trip to the Mexican border; they'll travel a month or more before reaching Mexico, hopping on trains and risking the loss of limbs -- a common occurrence.

"Some say, `Mexican' and they're not Mexican," said Karla Ornelas, Mexican deputy consul in Raleigh. Some people think it's easier for them to re-enter the country."

Claiming to be Mexican is a long-standing practice, said Wayne Cornelius, director of the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies in California. Some immigrants get coached on Mexican historical figures, such as renowned ex-president Benito Juárez, he said.

Central and South Americans are more likely to claim they're Mexican than people from other continents, immigration officials said. About 2.5 million of the almost 12 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. are from Latin American countries other than Mexico, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

In Charlotte, it's usually people from El Salvador and Honduras who say they lied about being Mexican, said Ángeles Ortega-Moore, executive director of the Latin American Coalition.

Central Americans often do it because they want to avoid crossing two borders illegally again, she said.

Wayne Cooper, honorary Mexican consul in Charlotte, recalls interviewing a boy who insisted he was from Puebla.

"I asked him, `What's the name of that rest area on top of that mountain between Puebla and Mexico City?' " Cooper said.

The boy remained quiet.

Consulates don't keep numbers on how many people lie about being Mexican, but it happens, officials said. The bulk of the interviews for the Charlotte region take place in Atlanta, although Raleigh also helps if there's a large number of illegal immigrants arrested. Workers in Charlotte occasionally help too.

In Atlanta, roughly about two or three people a month who aren't Mexican arrive at the consulate claiming they are, said Consul Remedios Gómez Arnau.

"They do it in case they're deported," she said. "(Mexico) is closer than going somewhere else."

People who are caught lying are returned to immigration authorities, who then refer them to the appropriate consulate. Those who sneak through face another round of interviews in Mexico.

Verifying nationalities is a challenge sometimes.

Consulate officials often interview people who lack documents from their country and who struggle to answer questions because of their lack of education.

Some can't sing the national anthem or name the president even if they really are from Mexico, said Félix Herrera, director of the department of protection at Raleigh's Mexican consulate.

"The majority never went to school," he said. "They're far removed from any media. They're in rural communities where there's no electricity."

So interviewers rely on random, detailed questions.

One time, an immigrant was asked how much "pisto" he had on him when he crossed the border. The man flunked the question by replying that he brought a certain amount of money. "Pisto" in Mexico, though, means liquor, Herrera said.

"I don't think anyone's gotten away with lying to me," he said.

Growing Numbers

The number of illegal immigrants from Mexico and Central America living in the U.S. has increased in the last six years, according to a Pew Hispanic Center report:

• In 2000, there were 897,000 Central Americans. In 2005, that number increased almost 52 percent to 1.36 million.

• In 2000, there were 4.7 million Mexicans. In 2005, that number increased almost 32 percent to 6.18 million.

This scenario is proof that when they try to implement Bush's plan of have you been here two years you go home, if you've been here 5 years you stay, they're all going to say they've been here 5 years. No way to prove either. Just like the "background checks," how you gonna check the background of someone who doesn't exist?