Rich Mexicans keep parallel lives at home, in U.S.

BY EUGENE L. MEYER THE NEW YORK TIMES

Posted on Sunday, September 23, 2007

Ana Luisa Sanchez Maccise, a Mexican citizen, is neither seeking a path to American citizenship nor living a fitful undocumented existence. Yet she lives and works in Houston, where she sends her son to a local private school. She has another home in Mexico City, where her husband still works. He visits his family in Houston regularly.

Maccise is among a small but growing group of Mexican citizens who are creating parallel lives in the sprawling Texas city; Dallas and San Antonio are other cities of choice.

Their motives are more than economic. They are also seeking a safe haven for themselves and their families, away from the threats of kidnapping, ransom and even murder that are routinely directed at wealthy Mexicans.

“Right now in Mexico City, the situation is not good because of safety problems,â€