Utah Senator Robles holds simultaneous Utah and Mexican Government Offices

Often referred to as a "political newcomer", Utah Democratic Senator Luz Robles (UT-1) is described by legislative intern Drew Martinez as "an immigrant from Mexico" who "came here in 1996 to attend the University of Utah, where she earned a bachelor's degree in business marketing and a master's in public administration..." Martinez's January 15, 2009 blog
http://drewmartinez.blogspot.com/2009/0 ... obles.html
post continues to detail an impressive list of local affilations and boards served on by Senator Robles. The blog also concludes "[S]he [Robles] really is an exceptional public servant. She's not your typical Utah legislator. She's first off a woman. Also she is a minority in both race and political party..." Mr. Martinez leaves out some other facts that by all accounts, were also unknown by voters during the election that pushed Senator Robles in the political arena. Indeed, Senator Robles is not a political newcomer at all. In fact the Senator is a seasoned veteran, having previously held elected as well as appointed offices, in the Mexican government.

It is important to note that Senator Robles is a naturalized United States citizen and part of that process entails taking an oath of allegance to the United States, the text of which is:

"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_Al ... ted_States)

A chronology of Senator Robles' relevant political affiliations and career in the United States is:

* Senator Robles was appointed as the interim Director of the Utah Office of Ethnic Affairs from July, 2005 to November, 2005;
* Senator Robles was appointed as the Director of the Utah Office of Ethnic Affairs in November, 2005 where she served until September, 2007, when she resigned to accept a position with Zion's Bank;
* 2008 Senator Robles becomes the Democratic candidate for Utah Senate District 1 and participates in the conventions and process in the Spring;
* November 4, 2008 Senator Robles is elected to the Utah State Senate;
* January, 2009 Senator Robles is sworn into office; and,
* February 6, 2009 Senator Robles' "Conflict of Interest and Renumeration" statement is received by the Utah Secretary of State and lists only Zions Bank as a potential conflict;

What has not previously been reported or disclosed is the following chronology of Senator Robles' political career with the Mexican government:

* In September, 2005 Ms. Robles was elected through an electoral process conducted by the Consulate of Mexico to a three year term in the "Consejo Consultivo Del Instituto De Los Mexicanos En El Exterior" (CCIME). The CCIME was an advisory commission created by Mexican President Vincente Fox and placed in within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Mexican Government. Source: http:// www.ime.gob.mx
* Ms. Robles held her elected position from 2006 through 2008;
* During her tenure with the CCIME, Ms. Robles attended at least seven (7) conferences and served as the Coordinator for CCIME the Legal Affairs Commission for three (3) conferences and as a member on the Political Affairs Commission for three (3) conferences; Source: http:// www.ime.gob.mx
* Ms. Robles attended her 6th conference after having won election to the Utah Senate and her 7th as an observer after being sworn into the Senate in Utah;
* Three of the conferences attened by Ms. Robles were held at the Presidential Residence in Mexico;
* During the November, 2007 CCIME conference, Ms. Robles was the featured speaker. speech: http://www.ime.gob.mx/ccime/Xreunion/luz_robles.pdf
* At the November 10-11, 2008 CCIME conference, Ms. Robles was the moderator for the "Estados Emergentes" meeting, which was also attended by MALDEF (The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund). Source: http:// www.ime.gob.mx

A review of the CCIME website and documents is replete with references to Senator Robles attending and participating in meetings, policy decisions and other official functions both while she was the Director of the Utah Office of Ethnic Affairs and after she had won election to the Utah Senate. link: http://www.ime.gob.mx/ime2/images/ccime ... in_leg.pdf

This is a case where the existence of impropriety cries out for an investigation by the Utah Senate Ethics Committee and possibly the Utah Attorney General. The next time Senator Robles takes the floor of the Senate to debate SB 60, Utahans will have to ask, "exactly which constituents is Senator Robles speaking for, Utahans or those in the CCIME?

http://www.examiner.com/immigration-pol ... redirect=1