Waiting for documentation - mobile Mexican Consulate
http://159.54.226.83/apps/pbcs.dll/arti ... /503060325
Waiting for documentation
Almost 2,000 people line up at a mobile Mexican Consulate in Salem
ANDREA J. WRIGHT | STATESMAN JOURNAL
Thousands of people wait Saturday outside of McKay High School, many since the early hours of the morning, to obtain matricular cards from the Mexican Consulate.
GABRIELA RICO
Statesman Journal
March 6, 2005
Nearly 2,000 people converged on McKay High School on Saturday to obtain services from the Mexican government.
They came seeking documents, information and help.
They came seeking assistance in finding a job, a place to live and securing a driver's license.
There were stories of unpaid wages, workplace discrimination and missing family members.
In the end, fewer than a fourth of those who showed up at the Salem high school were accommodated by an overwhelmed Mobile Consulate program.
Partnering with Oregon state agencies, the Mexican government's daylong event was an attempt to reach out to its rapidly growing community in the Mid-Willamette Valley.
Estevan Garcia Neri, 62, and four nephews were there for matricular consular cards, necessary to cash payroll checks and obtain driver's licenses.
The men arrived at the school at 2 a.m. and were surprised to find that there already was a line at the door -- a door that wouldn't be opening for eight more hours.
They were issued card No. 14 and clutched it like a life line, fully aware that they were among the lucky ones who would be seen by the Mexican Consulate this day.
The men, from Hidalgo, Mexico, work in a Salem steel mill and said the eight-hour wait was worth it.
As he waited in the long, winding line, Alejandro Ortiz, 47, a native of Mexico City, said he didn't mind because he was thankful that the consulate came to him.
"I can't take time off from work," he said about the alternative of having to travel from his home in McMinnville to Portland for his matricular card.
Even though he was at the tail end of the line, 30-year-old Mario Vichecha of Veracruz, Mexico, remained optimistic that he might get a break and walk away with his matricular card in order to get his driver's license next week.
Wrapped in blankets, sitting in folding chairs and munching on sandwiches, they waited and waited.
A clever entrepreneur drove into the school parking lot, swung open the back of her van and began selling tamales and coffee to the crowd.
The practice of a roving consulate is a growing trend in states like Oregon, where only one office exists, said MartÃÂ*n Alcalá Salgado, the state's deputy Mexican consul.
Twelve of the 16 employees of the Mexican Consulate for Oregon were on hand at McKay High School.
"Clearly, it's insufficient," Alcalá said of the resources. "We need more space and more staff to meet the needs of the growing community."
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Hispanic population in Oregon swelled by 318 percent from 1980 to 2000. The majority of that growth is from the Mexican community.
Alcalá lamented that only 300 families could be served at the event, but explained that the new security features of the matricular card are laborious.
The new system, centralized in Mexico City, requires fingerprint imaging and photos to reduce the likelihood of fraud, he said.
That's an important feature for Oregon agencies such as the state Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division.
"We're walking hand-in-hand with the consulate," said Ana Gomez, a DMV transportation services representative. "We're here because I know that's what they're here for."
Citizenship is not a requirement for obtaining a driver's license in Oregon, one of only 11 states with such laws.
And because the license is an avenue to employment, banking privileges or the ability to rent an apartment, Alcalá said, state officials rely on the consulate to ensure the matricular card's security.
And so at the "document verification" table, consular employee Ernesto Sánchez cast a skeptical eye on people's paperwork.
To get a matricular card, one of the things people must provide is proof of residency in Oregon.
They can do this by furnishing rental leases, paycheck stubs or utility bill receipts, Sánchez explained as he held up a copy of one man's Clackamas Community College identification and his Keizer water bill.
"How do you get to school?" Sánchez asked. "What street is the school on?"
Next!
"Take off your cap ... look me in the eye ... what's your home address?" Sánchez quizzed.
At the "carrousel of information," Daniel Quiñones of the Oregon Employment Department offered information on finding a job, crafting a resume or starting a small business.
"This is the fastest growing small-business population," he said of why his agency participated. "I've seen business owners in the community who started here at this table. Oregon is driven by small business."
At the neighboring table, Stan Wojtyla, a compliance specialist with the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries, said his role was education and enforcement of labor laws.
He said the wage claims, which are printed in English and Spanish, have increased in the home-construction industry in recent years.
"We're here to make sure people know where to turn," Wojtyla said. "We find people constantly who say 'I would have filed a claim, but I didn't know where.' "
Once folks get their driver's licenses, find a job and know their wage rights, they need information on tax obligations.
Teri Kaliher with the Taxpayer Advocate Service, an independent organization within the Internal Revenue Service, was there to walk people through it.
In lieu of a Social Security number, people can get a tax identification number and be eligible for a child-tax credit, she explained.
For those interested in pursing U.S. citizenship, compliant tax history is a plus, Kaliher said.
Despite the fact that four hours into the day, No. 100 was barely being called, people seemed in good spirits as they waited some more.
David Garcia Trapala, 23, one of the 2 a.m. arrivals, was all smiles.
"At least we got in," he said.
The consulate
A consulate is a body of public officers maintained by a government in foreign countries to protect the persons and interests of its nationals and to aid them in every possible way.
Consuls are officially recognized by a foreign state through the issuance of an authorization known as an exequatur, which may be revoked by the admitting state at any time.
SOURCE: Columbia Encyclopedia
:x I'm absolutely speechless.
Waiting for documentation - mobile Mexican Consulate
http://159.54.226.83/apps/pbcs.dll/arti ... /503060325
Waiting for documentation
Almost 2,000 people line up at a mobile Mexican Consulate in Salem
ANDREA J. WRIGHT | STATESMAN JOURNAL
Thousands of people wait Saturday outside of McKay High School, many since the early hours of the morning, to obtain matricular cards from the Mexican Consulate.
GABRIELA RICO
Statesman Journal
March 6, 2005
Nearly 2,000 people converged on McKay High School on Saturday to obtain services from the Mexican government.
They came seeking documents, information and help.
They came seeking assistance in finding a job, a place to live and securing a driver's license.
There were stories of unpaid wages, workplace discrimination and missing family members.
In the end, fewer than a fourth of those who showed up at the Salem high school were accommodated by an overwhelmed Mobile Consulate program.
Partnering with Oregon state agencies, the Mexican government's daylong event was an attempt to reach out to its rapidly growing community in the Mid-Willamette Valley.
Estevan Garcia Neri, 62, and four nephews were there for matricular consular cards, necessary to cash payroll checks and obtain driver's licenses.
The men arrived at the school at 2 a.m. and were surprised to find that there already was a line at the door -- a door that wouldn't be opening for eight more hours.
They were issued card No. 14 and clutched it like a life line, fully aware that they were among the lucky ones who would be seen by the Mexican Consulate this day.
The men, from Hidalgo, Mexico, work in a Salem steel mill and said the eight-hour wait was worth it.
As he waited in the long, winding line, Alejandro Ortiz, 47, a native of Mexico City, said he didn't mind because he was thankful that the consulate came to him.
"I can't take time off from work," he said about the alternative of having to travel from his home in McMinnville to Portland for his matricular card.
Even though he was at the tail end of the line, 30-year-old Mario Vichecha of Veracruz, Mexico, remained optimistic that he might get a break and walk away with his matricular card in order to get his driver's license next week.
Wrapped in blankets, sitting in folding chairs and munching on sandwiches, they waited and waited.
A clever entrepreneur drove into the school parking lot, swung open the back of her van and began selling tamales and coffee to the crowd.
The practice of a roving consulate is a growing trend in states like Oregon, where only one office exists, said MartÃÂ*n Alcalá Salgado, the state's deputy Mexican consul.
Twelve of the 16 employees of the Mexican Consulate for Oregon were on hand at McKay High School.
"Clearly, it's insufficient," Alcalá said of the resources. "We need more space and more staff to meet the needs of the growing community."
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Hispanic population in Oregon swelled by 318 percent from 1980 to 2000. The majority of that growth is from the Mexican community.
Alcalá lamented that only 300 families could be served at the event, but explained that the new security features of the matricular card are laborious.
The new system, centralized in Mexico City, requires fingerprint imaging and photos to reduce the likelihood of fraud, he said.
That's an important feature for Oregon agencies such as the state Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division.
"We're walking hand-in-hand with the consulate," said Ana Gomez, a DMV transportation services representative. "We're here because I know that's what they're here for."
Citizenship is not a requirement for obtaining a driver's license in Oregon, one of only 11 states with such laws.
And because the license is an avenue to employment, banking privileges or the ability to rent an apartment, Alcalá said, state officials rely on the consulate to ensure the matricular card's security.
And so at the "document verification" table, consular employee Ernesto Sánchez cast a skeptical eye on people's paperwork.
To get a matricular card, one of the things people must provide is proof of residency in Oregon.
They can do this by furnishing rental leases, paycheck stubs or utility bill receipts, Sánchez explained as he held up a copy of one man's Clackamas Community College identification and his Keizer water bill.
"How do you get to school?" Sánchez asked. "What street is the school on?"
Next!
"Take off your cap ... look me in the eye ... what's your home address?" Sánchez quizzed.
At the "carrousel of information," Daniel Quiñones of the Oregon Employment Department offered information on finding a job, crafting a resume or starting a small business.
"This is the fastest growing small-business population," he said of why his agency participated. "I've seen business owners in the community who started here at this table. Oregon is driven by small business."
At the neighboring table, Stan Wojtyla, a compliance specialist with the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries, said his role was education and enforcement of labor laws.
He said the wage claims, which are printed in English and Spanish, have increased in the home-construction industry in recent years.
"We're here to make sure people know where to turn," Wojtyla said. "We find people constantly who say 'I would have filed a claim, but I didn't know where.' "
Once folks get their driver's licenses, find a job and know their wage rights, they need information on tax obligations.
Teri Kaliher with the Taxpayer Advocate Service, an independent organization within the Internal Revenue Service, was there to walk people through it.
In lieu of a Social Security number, people can get a tax identification number and be eligible for a child-tax credit, she explained.
For those interested in pursing U.S. citizenship, compliant tax history is a plus, Kaliher said.
Despite the fact that four hours into the day, No. 100 was barely being called, people seemed in good spirits as they waited some more.
David Garcia Trapala, 23, one of the 2 a.m. arrivals, was all smiles.
"At least we got in," he said.
The consulate
A consulate is a body of public officers maintained by a government in foreign countries to protect the persons and interests of its nationals and to aid them in every possible way.
Consuls are officially recognized by a foreign state through the issuance of an authorization known as an exequatur, which may be revoked by the admitting state at any time.
SOURCE: Columbia Encyclopedia
:x I'm absolutely speechless.
