Mexico's President Calderon to speak on immigration in Dalla

Mexico's President Calderon to speak on immigration in Dallas

08:37 PM CDT on Wednesday, April 16, 2008
By ALFREDO CORCHADO / The Dallas Morning News


MEXICO CITY – In his first trip to Texas as president, Mexico's Felipe Calderón will make a brief stop in Dallas on Tuesday to talk about an issue that has become more and more contentious in recent months – immigration.

Mr. Calderón will appear at a conference of the Institute for Mexicans Abroad, a 125-member advisory council formed by the Mexican government in 2003 to strengthen ties between Mexico and its sons and daughters working in other countries.

It will be only the second time that the group, which meets twice a year, will meet in the U.S. The first was in Atlanta in 2004.

"The Mexican government believes that protection assistance programs for Mexicans in the United States should be strengthened continuously, and Texas, as the second-largest state with Mexicans, represents the ideal geographic place for these programs," said a spokeswoman for Mr. Calderón. She added that the president believes it's important "to personally connect with Mexicans who live and work in Texas."

Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert invited Mr. Calderón to Dallas during a January trade mission to Monterrey, Mexico. Mr. Leppert called Dallas a "culturally diverse city with a strong Hispanic presence."

Other cities in the region, including Farmers Branch and Irving, have generated controversy by taking strong stands and implementing policies against illegal immigration.

For his part, Mr. Calderón has criticized the "growing harassment" of Mexicans in the United States.


Taking part in summit

Mr. Calderón will travel to Dallas from New Orleans, where he meets Monday and Tuesday in a North American summit with President Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The topics of the meeting range from prosperity to border security – issues that will probably follow Mr. Calderón to Dallas.

News of Mr. Calderon's visit – he will speak at the Renaissance Hotel in Dallas – was applauded by Mexican immigrants in Dallas on Wednesday.

"This is great news," said Mario Cesar RamÃ*rez, a Dallas restaurant owner and institute board member. "But we respectfully ask that President Calderón doesn't come here calling us heroes. We want him to help open the door of opportunities so that we can provide economic development for the Mexicans living in the United States and our families back in Mexico."

During his visit, Mr. Calderón also wants to strengthen ties with business leaders and Hispanic political leaders. Mr. Calderón is pursuing several key reforms in Mexico, including plans to open the energy sector to increased foreign participation. That proposal has ignited a raucous debate.

Larry Rubin, a business consultant and former chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Mexico, said the visit offers Mr. Calderón an "opportunity to gauge Texas business leaders on their commitment to invest in Mexico and create jobs. ... I hope the level of debate will translate into an energy reform that will allow Americans, particularly Texas because of their oil expertise, an opportunity to do more business in Mexico."


Tension in Mexico

Mr. Calderón's visit comes at a tense time in Mexico. His trip received the required approval by Mexican legislators, but an ongoing blockade forced them to meet away from the Congress building for the vote.

Left-leaning lawmakers from the Party of the Democratic Revolution, or PRD, and their supporters had stormed and seized the podiums of both houses of Congress as part of a campaign to force Mr. Calderón to back down on his energy reform plan.

The oil industry was nationalized in 1938, when foreign companies were kicked out of Mexico by President Lázaro Cárdenas.

Over the weekend, PRD lawmaker Cuauhtémoc Sandoval expressed suspicion that the trip was really about oil, telling El Universal newspaper it was an attempt to "tell the U.S. president and Canadian prime minister, 'Here it is.' "

Mr. Calderón and other members of his administration have insisted that there is no plan to privatize the oil industry. Instead, Mr. Calderón has long said that modernizing the state oil company is critical to transforming Mexico from a country that exports its people to the United States into a country that retains its brightest minds with opportunities for a better life.

"I'm not a president who likes to see Mexicans leave the country, because every immigrant who leaves Mexico represents a loss, a family without a father, a son without a good father," he said at Harvard University in February. "I don't relish migration."

In addition to immigration and oil, Mr. Calderón is grappling with organized crime, an ongoing threat to security, particularly along the Texas-Mexico border.

Since taking office, Mr. Calderón has sent more than 25,000 troops to violent hotspots in Mexico to confront drug kingpins. The steps have resulted in the arrests of more than 22,000 suspected criminals with links to drug trafficking, plus tons of confiscated drugs and cash. He's also extradited more than 100 drug suspects to U.S. jails.

www.dallasnews.com

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"I'm not a president who likes to see Mexicans leave the country, because every immigrant who leaves Mexico represents a loss, a family without a father, a son without a good father," he said at Harvard University in February. "I don't relish migration."

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Then encourage them to go home Presidente Calderon! And stay out of our affairs! :x

"Mr. Calderón will appear at a conference of the Institute for Mexicans Abroad, a 125-member advisory council formed by the Mexican government in 2003 to strengthen ties between Mexico and its sons and daughters working in other countries. "

Sons and daughters of mexico need to return home, it’s past your curfew.

Mexico's President Calderón to hear immigrant leaders' concerns at Dallas conference

01:05 AM CDT on Monday, April 21, 2008
By ALFREDO CORCHADO / The Dallas Morning News


Mexico's President Felipe Calderón comes to Dallas on Tuesday with bridge-building credentials. He has a Harvard master's degree, English fluency – and relatives who work illegally in the U.S.

All three attributes should serve him well when he meets separately with Mexican immigrant leaders and Texas business executives.

A crackdown against illegal immigrants is roiling Texas and much of the U.S., and its scope and fury haven't been seen in this country in at least 50 years, historians have said.

Dallas is the setting this week for a three-day conference of an advisory board to the Institute for Mexicans Abroad (IME), an organization founded in 2003 by the Mexican government. The board's mission is to promote economic development in Mexico and the U.S. while defending migrants working outside Mexico.

With about 125 members, the advisory board's influence is growing, analysts and Mexican government officials say. And that is why Mexico's president chose to visit the group's semiannual conference, which is being held outside Mexico for only the second time.

"The access of these Mexican migrants to the decision-making process in Mexico is rare, if not unprecedented, and it's growing," said Carlos González Gutiérrez, IME's director. "Sometimes we're not in total agreement with IME advisers, but the consultation between us is real, and this meeting in Dallas is a reflection of that. These are people who want to influence both sides of the border, so our relationship is far from being one-sided."

Indeed, the advisory board is often at odds with the Mexican government. Board members have said that Mexico remains a place of great social inequities because, for generations, its politicians have mismanaged the economy.

Univision radio host Claudia Torrescano, 41, of Dallas, is a member of the IME advisory board. Now a U.S. citizen, she sadly recalls trips to her native state of San Luis PotosÃ*, where she sees far too many people with crushed dreams, especially older women discriminated against because of their age and sometimes because of the darker hue of their skin.

"The older the woman gets, the less her value becomes," she said. "There is still widespread discrimination in Mexico against the indigenous and other women. There is discrimination against those who don't have the right last name, or against families who don't descend from wealthy backgrounds."

Mexico City native Mario Cesar RamÃ*rez, who runs the La Paloma taquerÃ*a chain in the Dallas area, is critical of the lack of opportunity in Mexico.

"Amid the clapping and cheers when we see the president, there will also be a sense of resentment because the majority of Mexicans I know were people who had no choice but to leave Mexico," said Mr. RamÃ*rez, 39, a U.S. citizen and advisory board member. "If Bill Gates had started Microsoft in Mexico, he'd still be in the garage 30 years later."

With its burgeoning immigrant population, Dallas is a logical place for Mr. Calderón's visit, Mexican officials said. The Dallas area now has more Mexican-born people than Houston, placing the region just behind Chicago and Los Angeles in terms of political and economic importance for Mexico.

Rene MartÃ*nez, 61, a son of Mexican immigrants and an IME member who works for the Dallas Independent School District, says he was struck by the tens of thousands of people who turned out in the streets of Dallas in 2006 to march for legalization of immigrants.

"Dallas is the epicenter, of the marches and of immigrant numbers," he said.

But in North Texas, immigration-fueled growth has ignited loud protests against illegal immigrants, and even their U.S.-born children, whom critics say strain schools and public hospitals.

"I hope that Calderón acknowledges the fact that he understands that the U.S. is a sovereign country, just like Mexico is," said Jean Towell, president of Citizens for Immigration Reform in North Texas, which has no plans to protest the IME meeting. "I hope he understands that we have rules and a rule of law, and that he knows better than to tell us how we should apply our own immigration laws."

But if Mexico doesn't defend its citizens in the U.S., it risks alienating a group that sent $24 billion last year to relatives in Mexico.

Therefore, striking the right tone, choosing words with precision, watching for symbols that don't offend anyone on either side will all be part of the theater of the visit, choreographed by the Calderón team.

"It is his responsibility to visit the Mexican communities abroad," said Dr. Tony Payan, a political scientist at the University of Texas at El Paso. "It is still a Mexican community under siege."

When IME working sessions begin Wednesday, a key issue will be the defense of Mexican immigrants against discrimination, organizers said.

"Polls have consistently shown that it is only a small minority of Americans who believe that it is feasible to deport 12 million undocumented people," said Mr. González Gutiérrez. "We want to stay close and work with those organizations because we share their concerns."

Advisory board member Graciela Reyes Salinas, 46, a Dallas nurse and naturalized U.S. citizen, sees her role in practical terms. While she understands why some might be suspicious of her participation in IME, she said she is enthusiastic about the opportunity.

IME's mission, Ms. Salinas said, is aimed at providing "know-how" that "hopefully, we can stop the flow of illegal immigration to this country."

INSTITUTE FOR MEXICANS ABROAD
Proper name: IME stands for Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior or Institute for Mexicans Abroad.

Mission: To identify and analyze problems, challenges, opportunities within the Mexican communities abroad.

Founded: In 2003 by Mexico's Foreign Relations Ministry.

Advisory board: About 125 people in the U.S. and Canada, including eight from the Dallas area

Who can join: Mexican immigrants and those of Mexican ancestry, without regard to "migratory status."

Challenge: Dealing with a broad crackdown against illegal immigrants, and, in some cases, restrictive measures aimed at legal immigrants.

SOURCE: Dallas Morning News research

TOUTING IMMIGRANTS
One group participating in the immigrant conference this week will be the San Antonio-based Mexicans and Americans Thinking Together, or MATT.org.

The group was founded by Lionel Sosa, a semiretired marketing executive who has worked on Hispanic campaign messaging for Republican presidential candidates.

The group's efforts are aimed at showcasing the contribution of Mexican immigrants, whether legal or illegal. Stories on MATT's Web site feature such immigrants as former Dallas Mavericks forward Eduardo Nájera, a Mexican immigrant from Chihuahua.

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While his country is being taken over by drug cartels, who have pretty much taken over the military and police, this cocky little rooster is sticking his nose into OUR business? How screwed up is that? How can anyone take him seriously? I mean, he can't even run his own country!

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Over the weekend, PRD lawmaker Cuauhtémoc Sandoval expressed suspicion that the trip was really about oil, telling El Universal newspaper it was an attempt to "tell the U.S. president and Canadian prime minister, 'Here it is.' "

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The plot thickens!

He should be improving conditions in his own country for Mexico's citizens.

Do you think he will trade Mexician oil for U.S promise to allow the continued occupation of America by Mexican nationals? I guess there is not much doubt Bush would support that idea.......

"....The Mexican government believes that protection assistance programs for Mexicans in the United States should be strengthened continuously..."

I am SICK and TIRED of this double talk! Nobody is talking about Mexicans in the United States...our beef is with ILLEGAL ALIENS in the U.S. Those that are here illegally, who thumb their noses at our laws, those who commit felonies, those who openly and flagrantly fly the flag of their native country. Those who spit on the U.S. flag and have no intention of assimilating. THESE are the people we are talking about Senor Calderon! We don't want them here, we don't NEED them here! Get it!!!?

First the pope, now Calderon. Mexico is becoming more desperate and openly hostile.

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Originally Posted by TexasBorn

"....The Mexican government believes that protection assistance programs for Mexicans in the United States should be strengthened continuously..."

I am SICK and TIRED of this double talk! Nobody is talking about Mexicans in the United States...our beef is with ILLEGAL ALIENS in the U.S. Those that are here illegally, who thumb their noses at our laws, those who commit felonies, those who openly and flagrantly fly the flag of their native country. Those who spit on the U.S. flag and have no intention of assimilating. THESE are the people we are talking about Senor Calderon! We don't want them here, we don't NEED them here! Get it!!!?

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I suppose that the Bushwacker was busy so the ILLEGALS had to settle for Calderón. I bet McCAMNESTY was upset if he was not called to address his "people" MY FRIENDS!

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Originally Posted by CindyB

First the pope, now Calderon. Mexico is becoming more desperate and openly hostile.

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I wonder if Calderon, the Pope, the Bushwacker, or any of "our" Presidential candidates have ever suggested any solution to mexico's problems other then invading the United States?