DALLAS — The consulates of Mexico, El Salvador and Peru, along with the honorary consulates of Paraguay, Ecuador and Chile have joined forces to serve and defend the rights and interests of their citizens living in North Texas.

Calling themselves "Grupo Latinoamericano Consular de Dallas y Fort Worth" GRULAC-DFW (Latin American Consulate Group of Dallas and Fort Worth), the consul generals of the consulates want to identify the common social problems that confront their compatriots and promote what each country has to offer from a commercial point of view.

Also, the consul generals want to work with local authorities regarding the treatment of immigrants.

"There it is important that we get closer to the (local) authorities and clarify what is the reality in which we live. In this way, we are going to have much more voice and strength if we do it as a group," said Enrique Hubbard Urrea, Mexico's consul general in Dallas.

In an interview with EFE news service, Hubbard said this was the best time for the consuls to seek closer dialogue with authorities to negotiate, establish and promote culture, tourism and investments.

On the other side of the coin, the consuls also want to use the group as a way to resolve the issues and concerns that plague their respective communities during a time of heightened prosecution of immigrants who are undocumented.

Last year, the Mexican and El Salvadoran consuls in Dallas met with authorities in Irving, Texas before the rumors that its agents used racial profiling to stop and then prosecute Hispanics solely for having committed a traffic offense.

According to Mario Roger Hernandez, Consul General of El Salvador in Dallas, with GRULAC, they are able to diminish the "misunderstandings and confrontations because there will be a block of dialogue presented when there exists common problems like immigration."

On September 10, GRULAC-DFW will have its first real test by hosting an import and export conference entitled "Doing business with Latin America."

The hope is that this conference, along with future ones, will give a wider audience information about the variety of investments available south of the border.

Filed 6 de Septiembre, 2008 | Permalink | View Blog Reactions | Comments (0)

DALLAS — María Martínez, the woman who was arrested for using a false Social Security card when she applied for a job in a cafeteria located in a local hospital, opted to return to Mexico though she had a good chance of staying in the United States.

Martinez' daughter said that her mother signed the papers to be voluntarily deported back to her native state of Jalisco in Mexico without consulting her lawyer or relatives and was pressured by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to sign the papers.

The daughter said that her mother suffered from pneumonia and doesn't tolerate cold places like the holding cells. The ICE officials told her mother that if she didn't sign the papers she would spend a long time in those cells even though her lawyer attested to the fact that Martinez' immigration hearing was to be held in less than a week.

Martinez' lawyer further stated that Martinez was in the process of gaining legal residency and had no prior criminal record and would have been able to receive bail and could have prevented her deportation.

Yet, because Martinez voluntarily deported she may have ruined any chance to legalize her residency.

Filed 15 de Agosto, 2008 | Permalink | View Blog Reactions | Comments (0)

CARROLLTON: Maria Martinez thought she was meeting with hospital human resource officials last month to sign paperwork for a job at a private chain cafeteria located in Trinity Medical Center in Carrollton, Texas. Instead, Martinez was met by police who were waiting for her arrival, tipped off by hospital officials.

Martinez is a 40-year-old undocumented immigrant who had submitted a fake Social Security card to apply for the job. Initially when hospital officials realized that Martinez had submitted a fake card, they told her they couldn't hire her and sent her home. Yet, the next day, hospital officials called her back and reoffered her the position and told her that the documents were not needed anymore.

So Martinez, eager for work, happily returned. Only this time, she was arrested by Carrollton police who placed her in a detention facility with an immigration hold. They are charging her with tampering with government records. She faces two to 20 years in prison before being deported if she's found guilty.

Filed 10 de Agosto, 2008 | Permalink | View Blog Reactions | Comments (0)

DALLAS — The Mexican Consulate of Dallas reports that about 400 families are moving back to Mexico and have requested school enrollment transfers for their children. This development is being seen across the country in an increasing trend.

Mexican families in the DFW Metroplex have succumbed to the fear of living a lifestyle marked by being undocumented, enduring economic hardship due to the flailing economy, as well as, shattered hopes of any immigration reform being passed in the foreseeable future. All these factors are driving some residents across the border.

Undocumented residents feel anti-immigrant sentiments are ever-increasing, and with the authorities detaining more people on a daily basis — the fear of deportation forcing some to separate from their families is getting harder to bear.

According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Dallas; deportations increased from 108,900 in 2005 to 136,370 in 2007. The forecast for this year can be expected to be higher with tougher measures being taken by enforcement agencies throughout the country.

While many undocumented residents live depressed and in fear due to the increased vigilance from law enforcement agencies, some organizations that oppose illegal immigration are happy to see them return to their home country. These people believe tougher law enforcement is working and hope that this will encourage Mexico to jumpstart their economy so fewer Mexicans will be forced to leave in hopes of a better future elsewhere.

The future is not certain for residents living undocumented in the U.S. or for the ones returning to Mexico. Life remains hard and with poverty rising on both sides of the border, it may not get much easier in either country.

However, to Mexicans returning home, at least in Mexico, they will find the peace of mind that eludes them living in the shadows within the United States.

(Information in this article was based on a news story that appeared in The Dallas Morning News on July 5, 2008)

Filed 7 de Julio, 2008 | Permalink | View Blog Reactions | Comments (0)

AUSTIN — Rarely do we stop and think of the significance of the place we live, however, the address of our home is the most important window of information that connects us to the necessary business of conducting our daily lives.

Since addresses serve as the primary points for locating us, the announcement by Attorney General Greg Abbott of the new state-sponsored Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) — a program that benefits victims of family violence, stalking, sexual assault victims of Texas or victims that relocate to Texas — was welcome news.

The ACP program provides qualified applicants with a substitute post office box address that can be used in place of an actual home, business or school address.

The ACP program lets Texans use the address to receive their driver's licenses, voter registration cards and school enrollment documents. It's also available for members of the participant’s home for a period of three years before they have to reapply.

In order to qualify for the ACP program, victims must meet with local domestic violence shelters, sexual assault centers, law enforcement agencies or prosecution staff members to discuss an overall safety plan.

The advocate agency for the victim submits an application to the Office of the Attorney General. Once the application is approved, the participant receives a card from the ACP with a substitute post office address that will allow the program to forward all first-class mail and legal services to an alternate actual address. Mail such as: magazines, catalogs, prescriptions and packages will be excluded.

Challenges may be faced by participants enrolling in school as well as non-government agencies such as utilities, banks, and other institutions that don’t participate. Victims can inform those companies/organizations of the ACP program so that they will be more likely to cooperate.

With increased access to public records through the Internet, and published telephone directories, this program is a godsend to victims who escape abuse yet are accosted furthermore.

The program is not a witness protection program and does not guarantee safety but it is a great start for victims who are trying to move forward in their lives.

Filed 24 de Junio, 2008 | Permalink | View Blog Reactions | Comments (0)

Summer vacation season is here and people everywhere are trying to cut down on expenditures as much as possible, thanks to a flailing economy, as well as, gas prices increasing across the country.

Many businesses are being forced to increase prices from car sales, bakeries, even produce. In contrast, a business that is actually thriving despite fuel being one of the principle factors that drives this business towards success are the bus lines that specialize in trips to Mexico.

Tornado bus line makes daily trips to Mexico and points across the United States.
(Source: dallasnews)

Dallas is home to many of these buses such as: Tornado, Turimex, and Lucano. They have a daily schedule with most departing in the afternoon to 9 p.m. Some of the most popular destinations are Nuevo Leon, Durango, San Luis Potosi among other border cities and Northern Mexican states.

Many people who traditionally drive to Mexico during summer vacation are choosing to pay the $115 to $145 that most of the bus companies charge for a round-trip ticket. One reason is because taking the bus makes the journey much speedier, usually 12 to 14 hours instead of 24 hours by car. Bus lines are also an eco-friendly alternative — and with fuel costs so high it seems like the most plausible option.

In the past, some of these bus lines have been highly criticized — there have been accusations of drug trafficking, ignoring safety precautions (such as not having a second driver present), amphetamines consumption by drivers, the lack of commercial driving licenses and some have even fallen asleep behind the wheel due to long hours.

Improperly trained drivers have even raised red flags for both passengers and authorities alike. Although all these instances reoccur, authorities report there is not much of a difference between these lines and popular commercial lines that run nationwide.

With vacation season at its peak, the bus lines are seeing an increase of as much as 20 percent more travelers choosing their businesses, which impacts the difference of rising fuel prices for these bus lines.

The bus companies say they don’t feel the need to increase prices for trips due to the fact more people are choosing to ride with them.

However, they may eventually if fuel prices surpass the $5.00 mark or if ridership continues to increase.

Filed 13 de Junio, 2008 | Permalink | View Blog Reactions | Comments (0)

PLANO, TEXAS — More than 30- religious congregational representatives attended the Dallas Area Interfaith (DAI): Collin County Cluster seminar held at the West Plano Presbyterian Church.

DAI, a Dallas metropolitan organization, is made up of more than 60 religious congregations that focus on providing democratic solutions, as well as, bringing positive change in solving community issues.

The key issue governing the meeting was the challenges facing the community due to the lack of comprehensive immigration reform.

The seminar shone factual information regarding immigrants and their impact on the community in areas such as crime, the economy, cultural diversity and communication challenges. A key concept of the meeting was faith and respect for everyone regardless of legal status.

Bishop Kevin Kanouse of the Evangelical Lutheran church of America said that the majority of believers have a good vertical relationship with God but that more people need to have a horizontal relationship with others — in respect to people having their faith in the right place but not necessarily respecting and welcoming each and everyone.

The keynote speaker was Ernest Cortes — director of the Southwest Region of Industrial Area Foundation (IAF), a foundation that promotes social change. Cortes has analyzed factual information on immigrants and has found that immigrants are one of the principle thriving factors that make America an economic success. He explained that without the current population of immigrants the economy would collapse in a downward spiral.

Council members Sally Magnuson, Scott Johnson, Mabrie Jackson, Collin County Commissioner Phyllis Cole and Plano Chief of Police Gregory Rushin all stated that they where willing to work with DAI for a comprehensive approach to the immigration challenges that face the community.

Chief Rushin said a lot of success and improvement has come from a community program they adopted called Unidos, which is geared at improving the life of Hispanic residents. Unidos has helped promote trust between police and the Plano Hispanic community, therefore providing a safer environment for all the people in the community, which is the ultimate goal.

Public officials and clergy agreed that community is more important than regulating federal immigration issues. They believe the community would improve for everyone if a comprehensive immigration reform were adopted, due to the fact that many residents live in fear, and even endure hostile situations due to the fact that they live undocumented.

Filed 30 de Mayo, 2008 | Permalink | View Blog Reactions | Comments (0)

DALLAS — At 10AM about 200 motorists crowded the Shell gas station near Mocking Bird station in Dallas this Thursday -all in line for free gas, thanks to an advertising campaign by Verizon Yellow Pages and Superpages.com.

People arrived as early as 12 hours to be sure they got a one of the 200 cards with the prepaid 40-dollar balance.

The giveaway was too important for people struggling with the rocketing prices of gas, some even stayed overnight to assure their place in line.

This promotion was one part of the 20 nationwide giveaways that also includes Grand Prairie.

As gas prices increase more and more of these promotional giveaways have been fueling advertisements through out the nation from: hotels.com offering 50-dollars, and car dealerships offering to pick free gas for a year with the purchase of a new car.

Political campaigns are also offering to give away discounted rates on gas while they pick up the difference out of pocket as a statement on how the economy has fluctuated in these past eight years. It is projected that gas prices will increase to more than four dollars by the end of the year, and with that said –we can only hope for more promotional free gas to fill up our pockets.

Filed 23 de Mayo, 2008 | Permalink | View Blog Reactions | Comments (0)

Gas prices are blowing through the roof. Egg and milk prices are rising and families are losing their homes. The economy is not running on three wheels — it’s running on two.

Yet the new mayor of Farmers Branch Texas, Tim O’Hare, is making his top priority giving the boot to undocumented residents.

In his blog, O’Hare responds to a concerned citizen questioning the fact that what Farmers Branch needs to address is the status quo of the economy — not immigration issues. He responds by stating that Spanish-speaking kids take up a lot of the money the schools would use for other things, such as giving English-speakers a higher quality education, and how landlords are allowing too many people to live in one house (up to ten, he says) therefore devaluing the price of the land because the landlord doesn’t care about the looks of the property.

He goes on to say how uninsured motorists hike up the price of insurance and how Parkland (a hospital in Dallas) spent millions on healthcare for undocumented residents. He ends the response by saying that it’s not even about the economy, it’s about the law.

In a time of economical hardship, his main objective is to spend tax money addressing federal issues.

Another winning mayoral ticket that thinks making illegal immigration should be his city’s first priority is Carrollton’s new mayor Ron Branson. Branson, who also plans to compare notes with suburbia neighbor O’Hare, wants to form committees to expedite the process of ridding the city of undocumented immigrants.

Ron Branson states on his website that he welcomes new ideas, and that he plans to address the immigration problems by enforcing current laws and tightening up other areas of enforcement. His main objective seems to be to industrialize and revamp Carrollton as a destination, not just a ride-through kind of city.

The win for both mayors, based mainly on an immigration platform, raises many issues that are not being brought up. Are all the people that lost their homes and who have limited budgets too busy to vote?

What about other issues like small businesses closing due to distribution problems and restaurants suffering due to increased prices or environmental issues, economic stability, stagnant enrollment at universities, children in foster care, the homeless, the rising price of gasoline — these concerns aren’t being addressed, yet these are issues in every community throughout the country.

And what about Mayors defying federal laws? Where does that lead?

It leads to more laws on the books targeting a certain group of people and not addressing the issues that impact the day-to-day survival of everyone.

Filed 16 de Mayo, 2008 | Permalink | View Blog Reactions | Comments (0)

DALLAS — With Dallas being one of the epicenters of a rising Hispanic population, it only made sense that the 125-member advisory board for the Institute for Mexicans Abroad (IME) would choose to meet in Dallas for a three-day conference the week of April 21-23.

IME was founded in 2003 by the Mexican government to promote economic development in Mexico and the United States while defending migrants working outside Mexico. The group met in Dallas marking only the second time it has met outside Mexico.

The agenda featured a visit by Mexican President Felipe Calderon and discussions on high-priority issues as: immigration and discrimination, along with, how to create opportunities in Mexico so people won’t have to risk their lives in search of the American Dream. Health, education and implementing voting for Mexicans who live abroad were also among the important issues discussed by the IME advisory board whose influence in Mexico is said to be growing according to Mexican government officials.

Filed 29 de Abril, 2008 | Permalink | View Blog Reactions | Comments (0)

FARMERS BRANCH — Two Dallas suburbs, Farmers Branch and Carrollton, are the first two North Texas law enforcement agencies to be accepted into the federal 287(g) program which gives local law officers immigration enforcement training and access to federal immigration databases.

One other law enforcement agency, in Harris County, was also admitted into the program. These are the first law agencies in the state to be part of the federal program which already operates in 17 states

Federal officials say that enrollment in the 287(g) program has risen dramatically over the past year due to the heightened awareness of the illegal immigration issue.

Filed 25 de Abril, 2008 | Permalink | View Blog Reactions | Comments (0)

IRVING — At Brandenburg Elementary school, it's not just the children who are taking classes but their parents too.

Every Thursday night, as part of the Latino Family Literacy Project, parents and children come to school to sit down and enjoy a community meal and stay for some additional enrichment — the students participate in some fun learning activities while the parents join in learning either English or Spanish.

The school implements a dual-language curriculum during the day and decided to do the same for parents when it was discovered that many of them wanted to learn another language.

By far, the Spanish-speaking parents wanting to learn English is a bigger class on Thursday nights but there is a also a sizeable group of English-speaking parents who want to learn Spanish.

The program runs for 10 weeks and in addition to polishing language skills, the program helps parents establish a family reading routine.

Filed 18 de Abril, 2008 | Permalink | View Blog Reactions | Comments (0)