Calderon Part IV - Almost done

Friends, we want to draw closer to Mexicans in Chicago and in every other part of the world and the United States. And we are going to continue working on these five ambitious principles.

First, we are dedicating all available resources in order to improve government services. I know that many of our consulate services have left much to be desired and even more so now that the American authorities are asking for documents for just about everything.

For this reason, friends, I have declared in the budget that all the fees received for passports and other documents in the United States consulates will remain in those consulates to help improve service.

Second, Beginning this week in various Mexican consulates in the United States, but especially in the Chicago consulate, we will begin operating the mobile consulate offices with new contract personnel, with new vehicles, with new equipment, in order to travel to 80 different cities in the region to provide consular services.

We will continue working with you using the programs put into place by the administration of my predecessor Vincente Fox, like the Three for One, some local governments, like the government of Zacatecas, whose governor is here with us, Amalia Garcia. The governor of Guanajuato also, the governor of Colima, Silverio Cavazos, and of Guanajuato, Juan Manuel Oliva.

We will continue working with those programs and others as well. Today for example, we signed two agreements. One with the state of Illinois and another with the city of Chicago. An agreement for a teacher exchange. We will bring Mexican teachers here to teach our culture, our traditions. And from here we will send teachers to Mexico. Perhaps some of you can lend a hand to teach English in our communities, to our children who need that ability.

And second, we made an agreement so that the training and qualifications held by many Mexican workers can be certified by the consular authority here, the consulate of Mexico. So they can certify the abilities and training qualifications of Mexican workers and those certificates will be recognized by industry, in this case by the restaurant, hotel, and service industries in the state of Illinois. This was one accord we signed this morning here in this city.

Third, we will keep working to generate a distinct attitude regarding the immigration theme. It should be clear that the Mexicans, that Mexico, is not an enemy and that Mexicans are not a threat to this great nation.

We want to make the impression and make people recognize the enormous contribution Mexicans make on the economy of the United States. Recent studies have shown, the most important of which by the White House Council of Economic Advisors has shown that the migrant workers, especially the Mexicans, it is not certain that they displace native United States workers.

(I think he’s talking about this report: http://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/cea_immigration_062007.pdf
The White House makes a common big mistake here; they lump together immigrants and illegal aliens. They make another mistake as well; they assume the census data contains all the illegals along with the immigrants. Mistake #3; they exclude people being paid under the table- thus evading taxes. And being Washington, they pay no attention to the local fallout from social needs.
All that considered, the report doesn’t really praise Mexican workers. Page 8 has a bar chart of the education level of immigrants. Since 75% of illegal aliens have no college at all, Calderon might be misinterpreting the data.
We should also note the date of the report: June 2007. If I’m not mistaken Bush and Company were up on the Hill preaching comprehensive immigration reform at about that time. A report such as this would most certainly contain only good news and vague language. If you trust Washington explicitly, you’re reading the wrong blog! Now, back to the message.)

That to the contrary, by complementing the work they bring about higher wages for American workers as well. They calculate that the migratory labor force adds 30 billion dollars a year to the income of workers in the United States.

It has also been shown that on balance the migrant does not cost the American taxpayer. This study is not from the Mexican Government. It is from the United States Government White House Council of Economic Advisors. It tells is that the migrant pays much more in worker taxes to live in this country than he receives in services. And he is supporting a good part of the retirement pensions of thousands of United States workers.

We have to exert an enormous effort to change the image people have of the immigrant, of Mexico, of Mexicans. And this means to clearly emphasize the idea that we must build, we must pull together as our people say, we must harmonize our efforts with this great nation. Because the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to migrant work and especially from Mexico.
This natural phenomenon of two neighboring and close economies has existed for a long time between our nations. But you must remember especially during the second world war the North American government issued an invitation and there were thousands and thousands of workers from Mexico in the United States to help the workforce.

And while the young North Americans fought valiantly on the battle front for liberty, it was the Mexican workers who sustained the farm, industry, and other services of this great nation.

And since then the work of the Mexican has been a determining force in their prosperity, in growth, and in the greatness of the United States.