Thread: Mexican consul in Dalls is lightning rod

The consul as lightning rod
By David Sedeño
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Star-Telegram/Stewart F. House

Enrique Hubbard Urrea is a career Mexican diplomat, having served in a variety of posts in the United States and Brazil and as his country's ambassador to Belize and the Philippines.

He has had to navigate sensitive bilateral issues while promoting his country and offering assistance to his countrymen wherever he has been stationed.

But when the Mexican consul for North Texas, based in Dallas, issued a few words of warning to his countrymen last month about what he viewed as racial profiling by Irving police, he not only caught everyone's attention but ignited a firestorm of criticism from many parts of the country and abroad.

For the moment, Hubbard has become the lightning rod in this country's immigration debate at a time when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are stepping up raids nationwide and more and more communities are looking for ways to limit illegal immigrants' access to state and local services.

After nearly 2,000 people protested the actions of Irving police last month, numerous people responded to a Star-Telegram story about the demonstration. Many of them took aim at Hubbard.

"The law is the law and those that break it are subject to arrest regardless of race," one letter writer said. "For Mr. Urrea to imply his citizens should be exempt is discrimination against any other race."

Hubbard said he has been vilified on dozens of blogs and various radio and television talk shows for his statements and his continued stance. He has been told that he is meddling in national internal affairs in a way that would surely get U.S. citizens kicked out of Mexico.

Hubbard is fluent in four languages and says that, thus far, he has answered all e-mails sent to him. He says he reminds letter writers that "being in this country without documents is a civil offense, not a criminal one."

He also frequently quotes the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of rights to anyone finding themselves within its jurisdiction.

"If they were targeting only who they call the criminal aliens who have committed crimes, there would be no problem, but that's not what's happening," he says.

"Plus, if the U.S. State Department can say, 'Don't go to Oaxaca,' I think I can say, 'Don't go to Irving,'" he says.

I first encountered Hubbard more than 20 years ago, when he was the Mexican consul in Brownsville and I was an Associated Press correspondent in the Rio Grande Valley. We didn't cross paths much in those days, but since his appointment in Dallas last year, we have seen each other at numerous events.

He recently completed staff changes that will help him carry out much-needed efficiencies at his cramped, dilapidated building. He expects to announce the location of a new consulate soon.

At the consulate, he speaks frequently to people about their rights. He doesn't seek media attention, but he doesn't shy away from it either.

At 62, Hubbard is nearing retirement eligibility. But he says that his resolve and energy level have never been more heightened, particularly because of what he says is not only the continued racial profiling of Mexicans in Irving but the mounting pressure on Mexican immigrants, legal or illegal, in Farmers Branch.

Over lunch last week in Farmers Branch, we were joined briefly by Elizabeth Villafranca, herself a lightning rod in that city because of her opposition to an ordinance aimed at illegal immigrants. A federal court temporarily has blocked that ordinance.

Hubbard and Villafranca had never officially met, but she wanted him to know that she had called in to a local radio show to defend him. He was grateful, and they discussed a variety of topics, including the request to the Carrollton-Farmers Branch school district by the city of Farmers Branch for the names and addresses of all its students.

They both are convinced that it is another attempt by city officials to target Farmers Branch residents who are in the country illegally; the city denies that.

Hubbard attends as many events as his time allows, speaking frequently to Mexican-based or U.S. Latino nonprofit organizations as well as to local business and nonprofit groups where nary a Hispanic is visible, other than the catering staff.

One recent event sticks out in Hubbard's mind.

"I was giving a talk at a business meeting ... and one man was very upset and said, 'We just want it to return to the way we were.'"

Hubbard, to the man's surprise, agreed with him -- sort of.

"I said, 'Sure, but maybe we should be talking about returning way, way back to how it was ... when this was part of Mexico.'"

dsedeno@star-telegram.com
David Sedeño is publisher of La Estrella and a member of the Star-Telegram <
http://www.star-telegram.com/245/story/259200.html

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http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=N ... e&sid=2623

For those who doubted the validity of "the (Mexican) Reconquista", here is one of their most experienced diplomats speaking publically about "returning it to how it was when this was part of Mexico"!

There are 47 Mexican Consulates in the U.S. Far, far more than any other country. In my opinion, there are so many because there are 20 - 30 million illegals (of which 80% or more are mexican) here and the Consulates exist mainly for the purpose of aiding and abetting their nationals in the U.S.for two reasons:

1.) the tremendous amount of remittances the illegals send back to Mexico
2.) it is a safety relief valve to remove millions of the poor and uneducated from Mexico and dump them into the U.S. Most, simply, this is because, they won't have to provide for them, but we will.

The actions of the Mexican Consulates has been a long standing irritation of mine that I want to start making noise about with Congress but have been too busy fighting amnesty to date. I am attaching five items, three are links to articles that illustrates how Mexican Consular's aid and abet their invaders and actively interfer with our immigration laws and policies. The other two items are a letter I sent to the Head of the newest Mexican Consular, in Arkansas and his response:

The Mexican Consul General of Dallas interfers with ICE:
http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=F ... highlight=

Thanks, Huckabee: Arkansas Mexican consul opposing immigration laws:
http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=F ... ndres+chao

Consul: Police immigration plan "closing the door" on Hispanics:
http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=F ... ndres+chao

Letter to Mexican Consulate:

[i][color=darkred][b]July 29, 2007

Mr. Andres Chao
Mexican Consulate
3500 South University Ave.
Little Rock, AR

Dear Mr. Chao:

First, I’d like to congratulate you on your appointment as the head of Mexico’s new consulate in Little Rock, Arkansas. In the July 29 article on the commercialappealonline.com Memphis online newspaper, you dismissed critics that said Mexico is helping illegal immigrants establish lives here. You stated that providing documents to Mexicans in the U.S. is allowed by international law, which gives many countries the right to offer such documents to their citizens abroad. Really, Mr. Chao? If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask that you provide me with the international law that allows foreign governments to aid and abet the operation of their citizens who are in another country ILLEGALLY. In America, just as in Mexico, we distinguish between LEGAL and ILLEGAL immigrants. If you are providing documents to ILLEGAL Mexican immigrants that allow them to operate in the U.S., then you are in violation of our immigration laws. You need to be very careful in who you provide documents to in my country. I’m sure you realize that under under Mexican law, it is a felony to be an illegal alien in Mexico. Though not a felony here, it is still a crime and the perpetrator can be deported. In Mexico, those that aid in illegal immigration can be sent to prison. That also applies in my country. Also, I’m sure your aware that according to Article 116 of Mexican Immigration Law, foreigners in Mexico with fake immigration papers may be fined or imprisoned. That outcome also applies in my country.

As you know, the Mexican constitution expressly forbids non-citizens to participate in the country’s political life. Non-citizens are forbidden to participate in demonstrations or express opinions in public about domestic politics. Article 9 states, “only citizens of the Republic may do so to take part in the political affairs of the country.â€

One recent event sticks out in Hubbard's mind.

"I was giving a talk at a business meeting ... and one man was very upset and said, 'We just want it to return to the way we were.'"

Hubbard, to the man's surprise, agreed with him -- sort of.

"I said, 'Sure, but maybe we should be talking about returning way, way back to how it was ... when this was part of Mexico.'"

Or, maybe we should be talking about returning way, way, way back to how it was... when it belonged to the indians...

WITH THE EXCEPTION OF TEXAS,NEW MEXICO, ARIZONA AND CALIFORNIA WHAT IS THE REASON GIVEN FOR WHY THEY ARE INVADEING THE OTHER STATES? STATES LIKE NORTH CAROLINA,SOUTH CAROLINA,GEORGIA AND SO ON AND ON. THEY HAVE NO CLAIM TO THESE STATES SO WHY ARE THEY HERE? THEIR GOVERNMENT WANT THEM TO BE HERE SO THAT THEY CAN KEEP SENDING MONEY HOME WHEN THE MONEY THEY FEED INTO MEXICO'S ECONOMY COULD BE PUT TO BETTER USE HERE. FOR INSTANCE THEY COULD BUY THEIR OWN FOOD AND PAY FOR THEIR OWN MEDICAL CARE. THIS SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN ALLOWED THEY ARE WELL FED AND TAKEN CARE OF WHILE OUR CITIZENS ARE OFTEN DENIED THESE BENEFITS WHEN THEY ARE IN NEED OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE. OUR GOVEERNMENT BOTH STATE AND FEDERAL SHOULD BE ASHAMED AND MADE TO STAND ACCOUNTABLE TO EVERY AMERICAN CITIZEN IN THIS COUNTRY. FOR I KNOW OF SOME PEOPLE WHO NEEDED LIFE SAVING PROCEDURES BUT THEY DIED BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT AFFORD THE CARE THEY NEEDED. THIS THE RICHEST COUNTRY ON THE PLANET AND OUR CITIZENS ARE DENIED WHILE OUR TAX DOLLARS TAKE CARE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT SUPPOSE TO BE HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE. SOME GOVERNMENT, IF YOU ASK ME ITS A SHAM.