BORDER IMMIGRATION
by Andrew Reyes, Staff Writer / Translator

Immigrant Smuggling Ring

Officials from the Immigration and Naturalization Service and other federal agencies in late February ended a 16-month immigrant smuggling-ring investigation that began in El Paso, Texas, in October 1996, according to El Diario.

Thursday morning February 26th, a federal grand jury in El Paso indicted George Tajirian, age 56, a naturalized Mexican citizen from Iraq, on six counts of alien smuggling and one count of conspiracy. Salvador Moreno, an employee of the Mexican Immigration and Naturalization Service was one of three others indicted in connection with the smuggling ring and charged with one count of conspiracy each.

According to the El Paso Times, the other two accused of assisting Tajirian in providing fraudulent documents to those transported were, Maria Soledad Martinez-Rangel, Tajirian's wife, and Katia Anbousi, a Lebanese woman who worked for Tajirian in one of his travel agencies in Quito, Ecuador.

Tajirian, a 1968 Iraqi Olympian, and owner of Babylonia Travel in Cuba, and Servi-Travel in Quito, Ecuador, is responsible for smuggling 250 illegal immigrants into the United States since 1996.

According to El Diario, Daryl Fields, a public relations official from the city attorney's office, stated that Tajirian would contact residents of the Middle East in countries such as Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Palestine, and after transporting them to areas of Central and South America, would bring them through Mexico into the United States, charging each $10,000 to $15,000, plus anywhere from $4,000 to $10,000 for hotel expenses, according to the indictment.

Investigators confirmed that more than 30 percent of the immigrants arrested in El Paso were from Iraq. Officials said there was no connection between the immigrants and the recent tensions with the U.S. and Iraq, and that the immigrants were evidently not terrorists.

"The evidence does not support that right now.....nevertheless, there is some a reason for concern along the border because of the number of people who were smuggled, "James William Blagg, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas told the Times.

Luis Garcia, District Director of the INS in El Paso told the Times that the immigrants were coming to join family already in the country and were seeking asylum. He also stated that the INS was going to make every effort to locate those who were smuggled in the past three years as Tajirian's clients, and determine their immigration status.

Those who have sought asylum legally will not face the consequences of illegally entering the United States, he added. Garcia also told that Tajirian's organization was one of the most important of its kind at the international level, detected by United States and Mexico border agencies.

Tajirian was arrested on February 14th by authorities in Panama working with the United States INS Department. They expelled him to Miami where he was detained by U.S. authorities. If convicted, Tajirian faces up to 70 years in prison. Martinez-Rangel, Moreno, and Anbousi face a maximum of five years in prison.

Sources:El Diario, El Paso Times

Central and South American Immigrants Intercepted

The Mexican National Immigration Institute, known as the Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM), found 38 Central and South Americans in El Paso, Juárez, and Chihuahua, according to El Diario.

The regional delegate of the INM, Ricardo Vásquez Santiesteban told that authorities suspected the smugglers responsible for transporting the undocumented immigrants may have been directly affiliated with the Iraqi smuggling ring, detected by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) last month.

Santiesteban informed that 28 of these immigrants were discovered at the border checkpoint in Precos, and in various hotels across Juárez. The INM delegate further stated that among the immigrants, 18 were from El Salvador, 9 from Brazil, and one from Guatemala, as well as 4 Guatemalans, one Ecuadoran and an El Salvadoran found in Chihuahua.

Authorities found one of the Brazilians, Marcos Brito, in possession of American documentation. A driver's license and a social security card were confiscated, as well as the telephone number of a hotel in El Paso, Texas which led to the arrest of 2 more Brazilians, a Guatemalan, and a Mexican, with plans to travel for Florida.

Santiesteban indicated that though he is not sure, the evidence shared similar characteristics with the evidence found in the Iraqi smuggling ring which according to the INS, smuggled up to 250 immigrants from the Middle East, Central, and South America, and falsified several documents.

According to Santiesteban, since January the INM has located and deported 469 undocumented immigrants from Central and South America attempting to reach the United
States. He also indicated that the number of immigrants deported this year is considerably more than those deported last year at this time, due to more severe and careful inspections along highway checkpoints and hotels.

Source: El Diario

Four Men Arrested for Distribution of False Documents

Authorities in Juárez arrested four men in possession of false crossing cards, passports, U.S. social security cards, and forms used as work permits for employment in the U.S., according to El Diario.

The four men arrested were Victor Arturo Muñoz Pérez, 33, considered the leader of the group, Martín López Salgado, 33, Saúl Nevárez Francisco, 40, and Juan José Fernández Mendoza, 36. The investigation began due to an anonymous call.

The majority of the documents were found at 962 Azucenas, a house in the colony of Bellavista. The rest of the illegal documents were found at 1003 Azucenas. When arrested, Muñoz Pérez attempted to bribe officials with 500 dollars in hopes that they would release him.

The documents found included 27 local passports, 23 U.S. resident crossing cards, 7 Mexican passports, 11 U.S. social security cards, a North American birth certificate, and 30 temporary crossing cards.

According to Mexican officials, the men would rent the documents for 100 dollars each, and collect them in El Paso when the user crossed the border successfully. The men were turned over to the Office of Private Investigations in Mexico.

Source: El Diario

"Laser Visas" Ready for Issue before April 1st

The Immigration and Naturalization Service is no longer issuing the temporary crossing cards which had been available to immigrants awaiting the new "laser visa."

Preparations for the new visa began last February, and according to El Diario, Dan Kane, speaker for the INS in El Paso, stated that since the 13th of February, almost 2,000 applied for the temporary crossing card. He further stated that next month the INS in El Paso will not be responsible for the issue of the visa. Applicants will be required to go to the American Consulate in Mexico in order to obtain the visa.

The American Consulate in Juárez will begin the process through a telephone service that will schedule appointments and distribute the applicants' information to the necessary areas of the data entry file. Each call will last approximately four minutes and will cost about 5 dollars. Those interested must begin the process by calling 01-900-849-37-37, and scheduling an appointment.

If the date desired is not available, the appointment will be scheduled for the following day. The next step is to go to Banamex (Mexican National Bank) in Juárez, and pay the 45 dollar charge for the visa, which will be valid for 10 years, according to Kane.

The existing temporary cards are valid through September 1999. After this date the "laser visa" must replace the crossing cards, as well as those issued to tourists and businessmen.

Source: El Diario

Dual Nationality for Mexicans

Millions of Mexican immigrants in various parts of the United States and around the world have been given the opportunity to regain citizenship in their home country, according to an article translated by El Diario from the Dallas Morning News.

The new Mexican law represents what many immigration employees feel is a radical change in Mexico's attitude toward those who made the choice to give up their birthright.

It seems that the citizens of Mexico may have mixed feelings about the new law. Tomasa Carrasco, a 47 year old housekeeper from Xochimilco, south of Mexico City, stated, "I feel that the message being sent to our fellow patriots is simple: welcome home. Not only do we need their dollars, but their ideas to build a better country."

However, Fernando Vega, a businessmen from the Federal District said, " We're going to open the door to these strangers that left 15 or 20 years ago and say 'Make yourself at home, take our nice warm bed,' I don't like the idea at all."

The concept of offering dual-citizenship is not a new one. For decades countries such as Poland, Ireland, and recently Colombia, have allowed their expatriates the opportunity to regain citizenship. Due to a rise in political influence and economic status among these 18 million Mexican-Americans, experts feel the Mexican government has no choice but to offer such an opportunity, in order to strengthen future alliances with the United States.

Mexican immigrants in the U.S. send 8 billion dollars annually to Mexico for the nourishment of their families, and to support public works projects.

"These days, countries, particularly Mexico, are clearly aware that their most valuable resource is their people, and many of our better citizens live outside of Mexico," Carlos Pujalte, member of the General Counsel for the Secretary of Exterior Relations who helped define the new law, said.

Though for many U.S. citizens obtaining dual-nationality is a blessing, the Immigration and Naturalization Service suggests the possibility that problems will arise. Dan Kane, speaker for the INS in El Paso, said that the department does not recommend the enactment of such laws due to the possibility of conflicts. "Problems and confusion may arise when it comes time to pay taxes or to join the military," said Kane.

Marco Antonio Frayre, speaker for Mexico's General Consulate in El Paso said, that there are tax laws which prevent a citizen from paying the same tax twice. In response to the concern of military service, he said that the law stipulates that Mexican born citizens who have acquired a second nationality are exempt from their military obligation.

Frayre further stated that those with dual-citizenship may seek employment in Mexico with most organizations, though they may not hold office in regards to politics or the armed forces, nor are they allowed to vote.

Those seeking dual-nationality must present their Mexican birth certificate, as well as the naturalization document of the country they presently live in, to the Mexican Consulate, said Ramón Xilotl, Mexico's General Consulate in Dallas.

Children with Mexican parents may also seek dual-citizenship with two forms of identification, as well as their mother or father's birth certificate. Children whose parents are deceased are also eligible with appropriate documentation, affirmed Xilotl.

Those with dual-nationality may retain their Mexican passport and nationality, as well as properties or businesses in Mexico. Pujalte said that these individuals may reside in Mexico, free from the restrictions imposed on other immigrants.

Mexican Consulates throughout the U.S. will be accepting applications for dual-nationality for the next five years. There will be a fee of 12 dollars to process the applications.

Sources: El Diario, Dallas Morning News