Diary Of A Mad Voter: Nathaniel Hoffman
Idaho Reps Misrepresent Mexican Consulate
By Nathaniel Hoffman, 4-21-08
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I once called on a U.S. Embassy abroad for assistance.
About a decade ago I was stranded in the Damascus airport, denied entry into Syria. Someone at the American Embassy there helped me find a flight out.
It seemed kind of lame, having members of the Foreign Service book me a flight, but the Syrians were not willing to help. The nice American diplomat even offered to call my mother.
I don’t imagine the U.S. Embassy in Damascus is regularly flooded with calls from American backpackers. But imagine the number of calls from Idaho to the Mexican Consulate in Salt Lake City. Their phone has been busy all morning, in fact.
A Mexican Consulate will open in Boise some time this year. If Alaska does not beat us to the punch, it will be the 49th Mexican Consulate in the United States. The consulate will provide services for Mexicans living in Idaho, just as every foreign consulate in the world does for its citizens. And it will be a key point of contact for Idaho officials and businesses trading with our neighbor to the south.
But Idaho’s two Congressmen, Reps. Bill Sali and Mike Simpson have displayed an embarrassing ignorance of both the makeup of Idaho’s populace and of the role of foreign consulates throughout the United States in their response to the news.
Simpson spokesman Nikki Watts told the Idaho Press Tribune in February that the congressman’s first reaction was “Why do we need one?”
With about 50,000 Idahoans born in Mexico, the majority of whom retain Mexican citizenship, it should be obvious that the state is ripe for the types of services that foreign consulates offer: renewals of passports and other Mexican documents, advocacy on behalf of Mexican citizens and a link to the mother country for Mexicans abroad.
And with trade between Idaho and Mexico a key state priority, as evidenced by Gov. C. L. “Butch” Otter’s trade mission there this week, a local consulate will offer Idaho entrepreneurs an entrée to Mexican officials here that can only be a boon to business. Otter, when asked last month about the Boise Consulate said that a local consulate can be very helpful for two-way relations between countries, though he declined to take a firm position on it.
Rep. Bill Sali, on the other hand, has taken an aggressive stance against building a Mexican Consulate in Idaho and made it a campaign issue. In a recent guest opinion in the Idaho Statesman, Sali argued that Mexican consulates in the U.S. aid and abet illegal immigration by offering health services and identification cards to Mexican citizens.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City offers a list of doctors and hospitals, arranged by specialty, that offer services to Americans. Americans abroad who take ill frequently contact their embassy for assistance.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico also offers special identification cards for people who frequently cross the Mexican border to make the process easier. These are the proper functions of a foreign consulate.
But foreign consulates have an even more important function in their host states, as outlined in the United Nation’s Vienna Convention on Consular Relations: “furthering the development of commercial, economic, cultural and scientific relations between the sending State and the receiving State and otherwise promoting friendly relations between them in accordance with the provisions of the present Convention.”
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico is currently promoting an art show of New York abstract impressionism at a Mexico City art museum.
Perhaps a Mexican Consulate in Boise will help remind our politicians that Mexico is a sovereign nation with which we have normal international relations and not a slogan with which to rally nativist voters. The Mexican Consulate in Boise will make all of the Mexican art, culture, food and music that is already present in the Boise Valley and across the state more prominent.
Maybe Sali and Simpson will stop by for a lesson in hospitality.
Editor’s note: Nathaniel Hoffman’s weekly blogs are part of NewWest.Net/Politics’ “Diary of a Mad Voter” feature, a group blog, published in partnership with the Denver Post’s Politics West intended give a glimpse into the hearts and minds of several independent-minded voters and thinkers in the Rocky Mountain West in the ‘08 election cycle. For more columns check in with www.newwest.net/madvoter. And for more information on each of the bloggers, click here.
[End of article]Bush, on reopening of the Mexican Consulate in New Orleans this morning: "... it's a good sign, because we celebrate the values that cause Mexico and the United States to be friends -- values like family, and faith and culture... We celebrate the enduring and close partnership between our countries. Mexico and the United States are working together to build a future of prosperity and opportunity for people on both sides of the border." (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/04/20080421-2.html)
Comment By matt, 4-21-08If Idaho enforced it's laws,would they still have 50,000 mexican born?
Comment By Jay Kanta, 4-22-08I wonder why matt thinks he knows that number and what it really means? Would the average person ever think to remember that number? What could possibly be the reason that matt knows it so well?
Comment By matt, 4-22-08Jay,
It was in the article, so it did not really take a whole lot of research on my part. Here in Arizona, we have 500,000. Unless Idaho wants to have the highest auto theft rate in the nation, and come in 16th for overall crime, they might want to start enforcing the imagration laws now rather than later.
Actually, Matt, you seem to have a problem with reading comprehension:
"With about 50,000 Idahoans born in Mexico, the majority of whom retain Mexican citizenship, it should be obvious that the state is ripe for the types of services that foreign consulates offer"
Idahoans BORN in Mexico.
But don't let that stop your blatant racism from making a comeback.
What part of "the majority of whom retain Mexican citizenship" do you not understand? People who lived in Boise before the invasion reached their border will tell you that graffiti and gangs were non-existent. Enforcing the law is not racism. Racism is a word used by the politcally correct to silence those they do not agree with. Sorry, but the majority of Americans are waking up to this problem and will not be silenced.
Comment By John, 4-22-08"With about 50,000 Idahoans born in Mexico, the majority of whom retain Mexican citizenship, it should be obvious that the state is ripe for..." being subjugated, by the MxGov's Consulates, to Mexico City.
"On the other hand..." !?!
Rarely do I read a report authored originally in Mexico City that can resist the hackneyed phrase!
Since 1981 (nearly simultaneous with Reagan's and Miguel de La Madrid's meetings in Cancun) the Mexican Government has mandated the so-called ESL course "Follow Me To America" in Mexico.
Among other gross transgressions, the so-called ESL course not only instructs Mexico's nationals to become citizens of the U.S.A., but also, when having accomplished such, maintain contact with the advisories of the Mexican Consulates on just who and what to vote for in U.S. elections.
That these votes can and will be controlled by Mexico City no one should have any doubt. The new (dualed) U.S. Citizens of Mexico will have to tow the line just as they have to in Mexico.
The reason for that government's instruction, also, for the illegals to head directly to their consulates upon arrival and there apply for their 'second' Matricular ID (all Mexicans had their Matricular ID's by 1996) is twofold:
1) Until they do, the Mexican Government itself would not know of their presense.
2) In the course of applying for the Matricular ID's, the Mexican Government learns just where their and their family's (including extended) homes are in Mexico. Their land deeds, bank accounts, pension funds and even utility accounts.
You don't tow the line and grandma gets a monthly water bill for the equivelent of two thousand dollars. She could complain telling the government run utility that she only has one faucet but she knows the government would then claim there must be a pipe leaking under her house requiring the house to be bulldozed.
The message is clear.
Such extortive billings, btw, are called "irregularities" in Mexico.
You give the Mexican Government one inch, and they'll take a hundred miles.
If you won't defend Idaho, then at least defend your American neighboring states.
The Mexican Consulates are a Trojan Horse.
I see you've offered lots of evidence, John. Good job.
As well, matt, you are still making the exact same mistake. Plus you went off on a racist diatribe proving my point for me.
Both of you are excellent examples of why we need a Mexican Consulate. We need it to protect our brown skinned citizens against people like you two.
"brown-skinned citizens"? Well, I may be one of those but I'm American, Hispanic and most defintely NOT of Mexican Heritage by any means. The only reason we allow 48 Mexican consulates is that this is part of Mexico's aggressive effort to influence our laws, policies in the United States to benefit and appease the 7-8 million (by their accounts) Mexican citizens living, working in the United States ILLEGALLY. The 25 Billion dollar a year remittances (mostly untaxed, and unreported) Mexico receives each year from illegal aliens living here in the U.S. is the big reason to keep the illegal aliens happy here in the U.S. The Matricula Consular cards issued to illegal aliens by the Consulates have been condemned by ICE and the Department of Homeland Security...in fact, the Matriculas are worthless in Mexico...a holder of such a bogus i.d. isn't allowed to open a bank account in Mexico with it. Mexican citizens also seek passport services from the Consulates...why? Because they have entered into our country w/o one in the first place....very few of the "passport services" provided by the Mexican consulates have to do with the routine renewals or replacements of lost/stolen passports....the Mexican consulates make money from selling new passports to millions of their citizens living here illegally.
Comment By LEGALATINA, 4-23-08From the Center for Immigration Studies:
* The matricula consular is useful in the United States only for illegal aliens, since legal immigrants, by definition, have U.S. government-issued documents.
* The Mexican government has launched an aggressive grassroots lobbying campaign to win acceptance for its matricula card from state and local jurisdictions and from banks, especially in areas where Mexican illegal aliens are concentrated.
* The objective of this lobbying effort is to achieve quasi-legal status for Mexican illegals in the United States without waiting for action from Washington.
* The matricula itself, however, is useful to illegal aliens only insofar as U.S. institutions are willing to collaborate with Mexico’s efforts to circumvent U.S. immigration law.
* While many jurisdictions have resisted pressure from the Mexican government, others have not; the matricula is now accepted by 800 local law enforcement agencies and 74 banks, as well as by 13 states for purposes of obtaining a driver’s license.
* Not only does the matricula subvert U.S. immigration law, it is not even a secure identity document. Mexico is not authenticating the documents used to obtain the matricula against computerized data files in Mexico.
* Safeguards are not in place to prevent multiple issuance of matriculas to the same individual; in fact, the INS has already reported finding multiple cards in different names issued to the same person.
* The matricula is becoming a shield that hides criminal activity for two reasons: first, the holder’s identity was not verified when the card was issued, and second, police in jurisdictions that accept the matricula are less likely to run background checks on card holders picked up for minor infractions.
Well shoot, we'd better get rid of every single consulate in the United States, right?
After all, why should citizens of other countries have a location to find legal counsel and security in a foreign country?
Or is this only about Mexico?
No. It should include every nation which recognizes dual-citizenship of its nationals with the U.S.A.; and particularly the Mexican Government which---after the signing of NAFTA (coopting really)---reversed its own laws to (not merely instruct AND coerce) 'dual' citizenship of its citizens abroad and, as it is, only in the U.S.A. plus the Central American Governments which followed the Mexican Government's lead.
If you wish the illegals to be treated "humanely," the solution is simple: deport the offending nations' consulates while enforcing laws against hiring illegals and the illegals will eventually drift back to their respective countries.
The far greater problem is not the "illegals" per se rather than especially Mexico's "legals." Those who arrive to both, as they do in Mexico manage and exploit the illegals themselves, have even attained the duality of citizenship and in many cases remain functionaries of even Mexican Government even in U.S. government (and news media)---including plain-clothes federales (and censors).
Jay, other countries diplomatic corps, especially their consulates do not interfere with the enforcement, creation, or policy-making regarding our laws to the extent that the Mexican government has. Mexican Consulates actively interfere even in school curriculum in Los Angeles, and 15 other cities where they were distributing Mexican history textbooks directly to schools w/o approval of local school boards or schools. Canada only has 12 Consulates and they are not in the business of creating and providing phony identification for citizens of Canada that are here illegally.....ditto for all the other Consulates invited to have representation in our country. (except for El Salvador which has now copied the matriculas too).
Comment By Jay Kanta, 4-24-08I'm sorry, I'm really trying to be scared enough. Maybe it would have worked if you had added Mecha or La Raza to your tactics?
Comment By matt, 4-24-08Jay,
Maybe you would be more scared if your state was number one for auto theft, or was about to spend $125 million for ESL programs and still had the feds threatening to fine you $2 million a day because they feel $125 million is not enough money. Or maybe if your state spent $20 billion a year housing illegals convicted of felonies. Or maybe if your state had the officially recognized most dangerous national park in the nation, which has entire trails that are closed to hikers because those trails are favored by drug smugglers. You obvioulsy have not experienced the pain that somes with illegal immirgation first hand the way so many have. But by all means, keep your blinders on and pretend that everyone coming here is family oriented and just wants a better life. Ignorance is bliss.
But what happens if they just take over the whole western part of the US like the vodka ad?
Comment By matt, 4-24-08With three candidates that will do nothing to enforce our laws running for office, and with groups like the ACLU and Amnesty International hindering law enforcement in everyway imaginable, I guess we are going to find out.
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