Thread: Mexico opens help line for migrants to Arizona

Mexico opens help line for migrants to Arizona


By David Schwartz David Schwartz – 45 mins ago

PHOENIX (Reuters) – The Mexican government has opened a special call center in Arizona to provide a sympathetic ear for citizens caught up in crackdown on illegal immigration in the desert state.

Officials at the Mexican consulate in Tucson said they opened the center last week. It is available 24-hours-a-day to field complaints from Mexican nationals about their treatment in the border state, where as many as half a million illegal immigrants live and work in the shadows.

"We want to offer a human voice at the other end of the line, so they can feel protected and know that someone is here for them," Alejandro Ramos, head of the consulate's Department of Protection, told Reuters.

Feelings run high about illegal immigration in the United States, where an estimated 12 million undocumented workers and their children hide from authorities.

After the U.S. government failed to pass legislation overhauling immigration laws last year, many U.S. states and some local authorities have acted to clamp down on illegal immigrants, including Arizona, which passed a law to block the hiring of illegal workers.

Ramos said that these and other anti-immigrant measures are responsible for a hike in the number of calls to the five Arizona consulates. A combined 2,400 calls are logged each week.

"We're getting more and more calls from people requiring our services," Ramos said. "One of the factors is that, in a way, life has become harsher for them in the state of Arizona."

Ramos said the call center idea stemmed from a new initiative issued last year by Mexico President Felipe Calderon to improve communications with Mexicans living outside the country.

The line was greeted with skepticism by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who launched his own efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants in the Phoenix area, roughly 200 miles from the border, with highly publicized raids.

"I hope that if someone calls in and is in violation of the law that they would pass it along to me," Arpaio said. "I hope they tip me off, so I can do my job."

(Reporting by David Schwartz; editing by Tim Gaynor and Anthony Boadle)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081216/us_ ... migrants_1

this is just more proof that the mexican government is helping in the illegal alien invasion of the USA. too bad no one in congress wants to hear the damn truth

"One of the factors is that, in a way, life has become harsher for them in the state of Arizona."

Good!!

Officials at the Mexican consulate in Tucson said they opened the center last week. It is available 24-hours-a-day to field complaints from Mexican nationals about their treatment in the border state, where as many as half a million illegal immigrants live and work in the shadows.

Are Americans allowed to call? Many of us could certainly give them an earfull about our treatment by thier IAs!

"I hope that if someone calls in and is in violation of the law that they would pass it along to me," Arpaio said. "I hope they tip me off, so I can do my job."

He knows that ain't happening!

A combined 2,400 calls are logged each week.

That's in one state!

Why don't they send a taxi and take them HOME??

life has become harsher for them in the state of Arizona

And LIFE has become harder for an American in the state of Arizona!!

Are Americans allowed to call? Many of us could certainly give them an earfull about our treatment by thier IAs!

Do it! Tell them you are American and want to immigrate to Mexico and can they help.

"We want to offer a human voice at the other end of the line, so they can feel protected and know that someone is here for them," Alejandro Ramos, head of the consulate's Department of Protection, told Reuters.

Yo Alejandro! They don't care about a "human voice", they wanna see the FREEBIES!

I hope thousands more illegal mexican nationals call the hotline and DEMAND that mexico show them the money! Hope Alejandro can stomach the whining.

The Mexican government has opened a special call center in Arizona to provide a sympathetic ear for citizens caught up in crackdown on illegal immigration in the desert state.

Why not offer a call center in Mexico that encourages Mexicans to come home and stop leading the life of a criminal?

AIDING AND ABETTING ------- there is no quuestion about it.
but this stupid government is not going to do a damn thing about it

I hope they are doing the right thing and encourging them to go back to their home country because they are breaking the laws in the United States of America!

I believe the job of the consulates is to help people who are here legally if they run int problems, NOT aid and abett illegal alien law breakers!