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December 3, 2004
The following is a very rough translation of an article that appeared in the Mexico City rag La Journada on December 2, 2004 []. SRE (Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores) refers to the Mexican Foreign Minister, the ever-annoying international pest Luis Ernesto Derbez. If you don't think that the corrupt Mexican government isn't actively orchestrating an invasion of the U.S. using migratory tactics, you'd better think again.
The Mexican migrant guide will be distributed with two comic storybooks
With a cómicbook The SRE alerts about the dangers of entering the USA without papers
The publication will give countrymen useful advice in case they decide to inter into the neighboring country to our north
Legal situation and rights among the information provided
GEORGINA SALDIERNA
The Foreign Relations Secretariat will recur to the comicbook to alert countrymen about the dangers of entering the U.S. in an undocumented manner.
With an edition of 1.5 million issues, the secretariat will distribute, starting next monday a story with the title Guide to the Mexican immigrant, in which it pretends to give countrymen "practical advice that might result useful" in case that they have decided to seek new labor opportunities outside the country.
The guide also seeks to inform the migrants about the legal consequences of their stay in the United states without the appropriate documentation, as well as their rights in the neighboring country, once they are within it, independently of their immigration status
Thus, for example, the story warns about the danger of crossing through a river, particularly if it is done at night and alone, and about the fact taht thick clothing increases in weight when wet and this could make floating or swimming difficult.
In case that the immigrant is detained, the story recommends not resisiting arrest, not to attack or insult the officer, not to throw rocks or other items at the police or patrol cars, as these are considered as provocations.
If the officers feel attacked it is probable that they'll use force to detain the undocumented. If in such a situation, they recomend to raise their hands slowly to show that they are unarmed, not to carry any object that can be considered as a weapon, like flashlights, screwdrivers, blades, knives or rocks, not to run or attempt to escape, not to hide in dangerous places or try to cross roads at high speed.
Once the immigrant is detained, they advise him not to declare or sign documents -particularly if they are in English- without the advice of a defense attorney or a representative of the Mexican Consulate, and to provide their real name. Among the rights that the countryman has is to be able to communicate with the Consulate, receive medical attention, be treated with dignity and respect, be transported in a safe manner, have water and food whenever he needs it, not being beaten or remain incommunicated.
For those already working in the neighboring country, the story suggests not calling attention to themselves while they fix their legal stay in the United States, avoid loud parties or arguments, as well as family or domestic violence, since this last one is a crime as it is in Mexico.
The comic has 32 pages and contains two stories "El libro vaquero" (The cowboy book) and "El libro semanal"(the weekly book), with the objective to have it reach countrymen between 18 and 55 years of age.
The edition of the "Mexican Immigrant Guide" had a cost of two million pesos ($190,000.00 US) and besides containing the above stories it wil be distributed in the bus stations in all states, but it will be given particular focus in the immigrant expelling entities, like Michoacán, Zacatecas, Puebla and Jalisco.
According to the dependency the comic will also be sent to locations like Atlanta, Dallas y Nueva Jersey, so that is can reach the countrymen already in ithe United States in an undocumented status.
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