I hope when the last one leaves they take the Welcome Mat with em!!

Many Mexicans increasingly feel unwelcome in Colorado because of a perceived anti-immigrant sentiment, and some are looking back home for opportunities as the economy here sours, Denver's Mexican consul general says.

"What I've found is that in our communities, with few exceptions, there's a sense that the state is not friendly toward immigrants, that they don't feel welcomed and that they encounter this feeling of, 'I don't like you but I need you,'" Eduardo Arnal said during a recent interview in Spanish.

Arnal said that in his travels around Colorado people tell him about losing their jobs as the state's major employers — the construction and service industries — have seen a decline.

"We don't have statistics, but I can tell you with certainty that Mexicans are abandoning Colorado," he said. "And for a variety of reasons, one being that they are not able to find jobs, they're looking for other places and some even considering returning to Mexico definitely. Added to that is the fact that many don't consider the state a friendly place for immigrants."

The U.S. Census suggests a drop, too. According to its data, there were an estimated 240,754 Mexicans in Colorado in 2005. That number increased in 2006 to 254,844 but fell to an estimated 243,253 in 2007.

Arnal, a former Mexican congressman and member of President Felipe Calderon's transition team, was named Denver's consul general in August 2007. His office serves Colorado, and he supervises consulates in Wyoming, Utah, Montana, Nebraska, Idaho, South Dakota and North Dakota.

To date, Arnal has visited 59 of the state's 64 counties. It is partly from those visits, aimed at establishing ties with local law enforcement and businesses, that he has drawn his own conclusions about the feelings of Mexican immigrants.

Arnal points to a series of immigration bills passed in 2006 during a special legislative session as one reason many Mexicans feel marginalized.

One law created a state patrol unit with the authority to enforce immigration law during routine patrols and curb human smuggling. The unit has arrested more than 930 suspected illegal immigrants since July 2007.

Another law barred immigrants from receiving some state services unless they prove they are in the country legally. Also in 2006, but during a regular legislative session, lawmakers passed a bill requiring police to report anyone they believe to be in the country illegally to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"There are situations where people live in fear because they think that there are all of these pretexts in day-to-day life that can be used to report them to immigration authorities," Arnal said.

Arnal said one of his goals is to make Coloradans aware of Mexico's contribution to their economy.

Mexico is Colorado's second biggest trading partner after Canada — trade totaled $950 million in 2007 — and is the state's top source for agricultural products, Arnal said.

Mexico is the U.S.' third largest trading partner.

Despite the countries' economic interdependence — Arnal points to an old saying that if the U.S. catches a cold, Mexico gets a fever — he noted that Mexico's economy has grown slightly this year.

Mexico's Treasury Department reported a 1.7 percent growth rate for the third quarter and has revised its 2008 growth forecast to 2 percent from 2.4 percent.

In the coming decades, Mexico would like to appeal to its citizens to stay home by creating more jobs and investing in education and infrastructure, Arnal said.

"We are working intensely so that every day there are less Mexicans that come to the U.S. because we need them for our own economy," he said.
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