Author Topic: Mexico opens help line for migrants to Arizona  (Read 1471 times)

Desertdog

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Mexico opens help line for migrants to Arizona
« on: December 16, 2008, 04:38:56 PM »
Mexico opens help line for migrants to Arizona
Tue Dec 16, 2008 11:03am EST  Email | Print | Share| Reprints | Single Page | Recommend (18) [-] Text
  • By David Schwartz


PHOENIX (Reuters) - The Mexican government has opened a special call center in Arizona to provide a sympathetic ear for citizens caught up in crackdown on illegal immigration in the desert state.

Officials at the Mexican consulate in Tucson said they opened the center last week. It is available 24-hours-a-day to field complaints from Mexican nationals about their treatment in the border state, where as many as half a million illegal immigrants live and work in the shadows.

"We want to offer a human voice at the other end of the line, so they can feel protected and know that someone is here for them," Alejandro Ramos, head of the consulate's Department of Protection, told Reuters.

Feelings run high about illegal immigration in the United States, where an estimated 12 million undocumented workers and their children hide from authorities.

After the U.S. government failed to pass legislation overhauling immigration laws last year, many U.S. states and some local authorities have acted to clamp down on illegal immigrants, including Arizona, which passed a law to block the hiring of illegal workers.

Ramos said that these and other anti-immigrant measures are responsible for a hike in the number of calls to the five Arizona consulates. A combined 2,400 calls are logged each week.

"We're getting more and more calls from people requiring our services," Ramos said. "One of the factors is that, in a way, life has become harsher for them in the state of Arizona."

Ramos said the call center idea stemmed from a new initiative issued last year by Mexico President Felipe Calderon to improve communications with Mexicans living outside the country.

The line was greeted with skepticism by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who launched his own efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants in the Phoenix area, roughly 200 miles from the border, with highly publicized raids.

"I hope that if someone calls in and is in violation of the law that they would pass it along to me," Arpaio said. "I hope they tip me off, so I can do my job."

(Reporting by David Schwartz; editing by Tim Gaynor and Anthony

AZRedhawk44

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Re: Mexico opens help line for migrants to Arizona
« Reply #1 on: December 16, 2008, 04:49:03 PM »
Quote
It is available 24-hours-a-day to field complaints from Mexican nationals about their treatment in the border state, where as many as half a million illegal immigrants live and work in the shadows.

half a million.

There's about 6.0 to 6.5 million people in AZ.

That means one in every 12 people is here illegally.  7%.  That's 7% too many cars, 7% too many supporting government programs such as hospitals, police, fire, education, social services.  7% too much money spent by taxpayers in the AZ state budget.

Personally, I think it's closer to a million.  But, I'm a pessimist at heart.

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Nitrogen

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Re: Mexico opens help line for migrants to Arizona
« Reply #2 on: December 16, 2008, 05:53:36 PM »
For some reason, I still miss Phoenix terribly.  DFW is just a pale imitation.
Except when it comes to illegals.

I was rear ended twice when I lived there.  Any takers to guess on the legal status of the folks that hit me, both times?
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AJ Dual

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Re: Mexico opens help line for migrants to Arizona
« Reply #3 on: December 16, 2008, 06:06:54 PM »
AZ residents should start a rumor the AZ government and US government are allowing this in the first place because the Mexican consulate line is wiretapped to find more illegals.

All is fair in war.

What really irks me in the whole illegal debate is the "we can't catch them all... (so we might as well not try)" argument that some self-professed "realists" and "moderates" on the issue seem to be trying to make.

Why would targeted raids, and publicity aimed at scaring even a quarter of them into going home and taking their anchor babies with them not be a huge improvement?

Does an army give up, retreat, or surrender because they can't kill ALL of the enemy?

Does an exterminator give up because they can't get every last roach?

Does a doctor give up because he can't get rid of all of your fever?

Does a baseball pitcher walk off the mound because he's not pitching a no-hitter?
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Lennyjoe

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Re: Mexico opens help line for migrants to Arizona
« Reply #4 on: December 16, 2008, 06:51:13 PM »
Gotta number?  I'd like to make a call to them and talk to someone about immigration issues.  =D

Standing Wolf

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Re: Mexico opens help line for migrants to Arizona
« Reply #5 on: December 16, 2008, 10:24:17 PM »
How hard would it be to turn off the !@#$%^&*! telephone lines?
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