Mexico pays attention to immigrants, diplomat says Nebraska

Published Wednesday | February 13, 2008
Mexico pays attention to immigrants, diplomat says
BY CINDY GONZALEZ
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Jorge Ernesto Espejel Montes came to Nebraska from a place where immigrant deaths were sad but routine, where most Americans spoke Spanish and snow was a foreign concept.

Omaha's new Mexican consul, Jorge Ernesto Espejel Montes, comes here from the consulate in the border town of Eagle Pass, Texas.Before taking over last week as the Omaha-based Mexican consul, Espejel served his government nearly two decades along the U.S.-Mexican border.

He said he felt privileged to have worked in that unique blend of culture, business and politics but was eager for a change.

"It's completely different," Espejel said from his frost-covered office building at 35th and Dodge Streets in midtown Omaha. "But I'm excited for that."

Espejel, 48, is only the second person to head the Nebraska-Iowa branch that opened eight years ago to meet the needs of a growing expatriate population, now estimated at more than 77,000 in the two states.

The Eagle Pass, Texas, consulate that Espejel ran for eight years prior to his current assignment had been established more than 125 years ago.

Jose Luis Cuevas, the former consul who opened the Omaha office, has been reassigned to Anchorage, Alaska.

Among Espejel's first orders of business, he said, is to meet with Mexican natives and other Latinos to better understand the population, its needs and views.

"I want to listen and be in touch," he said. "So they know that Mexico is paying attention to them."

Espejel's new start coincides with a U.S. visit this week by Mexican President Felipe Calderón, who planned to convey a similar message to immigrants in major cities such as New York and Chicago: that the Mexican government has not abandoned them.

Espejel arrived last week; his wife, Luisa, and daughters, Lucia, 17, and Gloria, 13, will join him after the school year ends.

This week Espejel stepped outside his back office to mingle with the dozens of Spanish-speaking clients waiting in the public area for identification cards, passport documentation and other paperwork.

He introduced himself, listened to the reasons they came and later remarked how different that scene was from his previous job.

Espejel also has served in consulates in McAllen, Texas, and Los Angeles.

In Texas, his staff's time was dominated by human rights and protection concerns. Among them: arranging return transportation for migrants caught by the Border Patrol; reuniting smuggled children with family in Mexico; notifying relatives of loved ones who died during border crossings.

Being a frequent bearer of bad news wore on Espejel.

He said he didn't want to be desensitized. He didn't want to think of dead bodies "in terms of numbers" rather than individuals.

To be sure, the Omaha-based consul has not escaped death notifications. Immigrants have been killed in smuggling operations, work-related incidents, car accidents. The local consular staff also has felt the brunt of a swelling anti-illegal immigration sentiment.

Still, Espejel looks forward to the challenge of Midwestern concerns, which he expects to be more of a mix.

A primary responsibility remains the protection of rights of area Mexicans, illegal and legal. He plans to promote business exchanges and economic ventures in Mexico.

He expects to meet with non-Mexicans to better understand their attitudes.

He plans to rekindle ties already established with politicians and policymakers by his predecessor, Cuevas.

Espejel said he also hopes to step up his office's rapport with the local Latino community.

Of the ongoing debate over illegal immigration, Espejel said that a country's border must be regulated. "I understand it has to be a very secure border."

He added, however, that the United States is a country of immigrants. He wishes more policymakers and legislators would visit the border to see what he called the folly of a wall.

He said he supports a dialogue to increase temporary foreign worker programs.

Most Mexicans, Espejel said, want to return to their homeland after earning money for their family. The Border Patrol buildup has inhibited that flow, he said.

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2 ... d=10257096

Quote:

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Most Mexicans, Espejel said, want to return to their homeland after earning money for their family. The Border Patrol buildup has inhibited that flow, he said.

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3 comments:

1. Bingo. We have a winner! :lol:

2. If a person is coming here solely to 'earn money' that person is probably doing the wrong thing for all the right reasons (eg. we need to stop being the world's ATM - we already have a large national debt, budget deficits, and a teetering trade deficit).

3. Geez, why couldn't the writer have included this quote early in the article so I wouldn't have to read the whole thing first :roll:

we were a country of immigrants from all over the world, not just mexico whom they want us to favor

He added, however, that the United States is a country of immigrants. He wishes more policymakers and legislators would visit the border to see what he called the folly of a wall.




Once again, the same tired argument which has absolutely nothing to do with the circumstances in which we find ourselves.

As for his wish that more policymakers and legislators would visit the border to see the so-called "folly" of building the wall........well, I wish that more would visit also.

If they were to do that, they would see folly alright....the folly of not having built the fence a long time ago, the folly of not making much progress on it now, and the folly of not erecting a better and more extensive barrier.

Espejel had best be careful what he wishes for.....these visits to the border have a way of profoundly changing the minds of those who previously did not see the necessity and/or urgency, of the wall.





Most Mexicans, Espejel said, want to return to their homeland after earning money for their family. The Border Patrol buildup has inhibited that flow, he said.


The BP is simply doing it's job although the Mexican government and those who would injure or murder our agents have been working tirelessly to inhibit their ability to do this.

And yes, we all know exactly what the majority of Mexicans are doing here.

All he's done is confirm it.

And his quote is something else I'll be adding to the list of things I've been documenting to include in my letters and emails to our representatives.