I got this in my e-mail this morning

[buff2]

This should put to rest all the pissing and moaning about those poor illegal immigrants.Too bad they get off scott free while an American has to go through hell and high water to live in THEIR country.This isn't a fair shake by any stretch of the imagination. :thumbsdown:




Americans working in Mexico
From the other side of the fence.....
Received the following from (Tom O'Malley) who was a Director with SW BELL in Mexico City.
You remember I spent five years working in Mexico.

I worked under a tourist Visa for three months and could legally renew it for three more months. After that you were working Illegally. I was technically illegal for three weeks waiting on the FM3 approval
During that six months our Mexican and US Attorneys were working to secure a permanent work visa called a FM3. It was in addition to my US passport that I had to show each time I entered and left the country. Barbara's was the same except hers did not permit her to work.

To apply for the FM3 I needed to submit the following notarized originals
(not copies) of my:
1. Birth certificate for Barbara and I.
2. Marriage certificate.
3. High school transcripts and proof of graduation.
4. College transcripts for every college I attended and proof of graduation.
5. Two letters of recommendation from supervisors I had worked for at least one year.
6. A letter from The ST. Louis Chief of Police indication I had no arrest record in the US and no outstanding warrants and was "a citizen in good standing."
7. Finally; I had to write a letter about myself that clearly stated why there was no Mexican Citizen with my skills and why my skills were important to Mexico. We called it our "I am the greatest person on Earth" letter. It was fun to write.

All of the above were in English that had to be translated into Spanish and be certified as legal translations and our signatures notarized. It produced a folder about 1.5 inches thick with English on the left side and Spanish on the right.

Once they were completed Barbara and I spent about five hours accompanied by a Mexican Attorney touring Mexican Government office locations and being photographed and fingerprinted at least three times. At each location and we remember at least four locations we instructed on Mexican tax, labor, housing, and criminal law and that we were required to obey their laws or face the consequences. We could not protest any of the Governments actions or we would be committing a felony. We paid out four thousand dollars in fees and bribes to complete the process. When this was done we could legally bring in our household goods that were held by US customs in Loredo Texas. This meant we has rented furniture in Mexico while awaiting our goods. There were extensive fees involved here that the company paid.

We could not buy a home and were required to rent at very high rates and under contract and compliance with Mexican law.

We were required to get a Mexican drivers license. This was an amazing process. The company arranged for the Licensing agency to come to our Headquarters location with their photography and finger print equipment and the laminating machine. We showed our US license, were photographed and fingerprinted again and issued the license instantly after paying out a six dollar fee. We did not take a written or driving test and never received instructions on the rules of the road. Our only instruction was never give a policeman your license if stopped and asked. We were instructed to hold it against the inside window away from his grasp. If he got his hands on it you would have to pay ransom to get it back.

We then had to pay and file Mexican income tax annually using the number of our FM3 as our ID number. The companies Mexican accountants did this for us and we just signed what they prepared. I was about twenty legal size pages annually.

The FM 3 was good for three years and renewable for two more after paying more fees.

Leaving the country meant turning in the FM# and certifying we were leaving no debts behind and no outstanding legal affairs (warrants, tickets or liens) before our household goods were released to customs.

It was a real adventure and If any of our Senators or Congressman went through it once they would have a different attitude toward Mexico.

The Mexican Government uses its vast military and police forces to keep its citizens intimidated and compliant. They never protest at their White house or government offices but do protest daily in front of the United States Embassy. The US embassy looks like a strongly reinforced fortress and during most protests the Mexican Military surround the block with their men standing shoulder to shoulder in full riot gear to protect the Embassy. These protests are never shown on US or Mexican TV. There is a large public park across the street where they do their protesting. Anything can cause a protest such as proposed law changes in California or Texas.

Please feel free to share this with everyone who thinks we are being hard on illegal immigrants.

[TankLV]

1. And what do you think?

You DO know that MEXICO's immigration laws are infinitely more severe than ours, right?

If you are caught being there illegally, it's a MIMINUM FOUR YEAR PRISON TERM, and UP TO TEN YEARS, right?

This email is essentially correct from what I've seen.

The US has some of the MOST LAX immigration laws in the world!

You DO know that, right?

What is your point?

[buff2]

2. Read my post again.

Maybe you will get my point next time.

[hiley]

3. looks like the point is...

"This should put to rest all the pissing and moaning about those poor illegal immigrants.Too bad they get off scott free while an American has to go through hell and high water to live in THEIR country.This isn't a fair shake by any stretch of the imagination."

[buff2]

4. At least you got my point

:hi:

[hiley]

12. must say I agree

with you, too.

[Maddy McCall]

5. Tom gets no pity from me. He gets his paycheck from Bell, and...

right now, I'm more furious about Bell undermining the Constitution than I am about anything else.

[buff2]

6. I'm upset with all the corporate greedy bastards

and I'm upset there are 12 million illegal immigrants going along with them and working for 5 or 6 bucks an hour.It's knocking the hell out of Americans making a decent wage anymore and it amazes me so many DU'ers agree with it. :wtf:

[catnhatnh]

7. I'll bet this poor bastard didn't even.....

get paid the same wages as the local folk after he put up with all this....oh well-at least in that respect the US and Mexico are the same----immigrants are paid differently than citizens....

[MADem]

8. Wow, Mexico enforces their immigration laws!

Unlike our country, where BushCo doormen have held the door open for five years and done everything short of help people across with their bags! Where the administration slashes the Border Patrol budget and assets, after Nahn Wun Wun changed EVERYTHING!

I can't blame PEOPLE for doing what they can get away with to stay alive. I can question a government that ENCOURAGED this practice that resulted in depressed wages, so corporate cronies can go home with platinum parachutes, on the backs of underpaid workers looking to feed their families. I can take issue with a government that thinks the way to solve a problem is to do massive, gestapoish roundups of millions, and not punish the much smaller, more easily rounded-up cadre of people who employ these desperate workers.

Punish a few EMPLOYERS, SEVERELY, and the problem will take care of itself. These people aren't here for the welcoming bosom of the American experience, or the scenery. They are here for the economic opportunity, given to them by BushCo employers who pay them shit for wages. If opportunity no longer exists, they aren't gonna hang around.

This email is making the rounds, I guess. It's the second time I've seen it on DU. What's the point? Mexico enforces their laws, and BUSH does NOT enforce ours!

[roody]

9. They are getting off scott free!

I see them bent over the strawberries and the lettuce. They might be making 6.25 per hour in California. They pay social security they will never see. They are treated like dirt by many racist people. They pay high rent for sub standard housing. They have got it made, but not in the shade.

[buff2]

10. And I know people that can't get a job

because the corporate slavemasters prefer to keep their "slaves" at minimum wage.Why aren't the illegals out protesting in the streets over THAT? What a fucked up situation this is.

[Bozita]

11. Mexico has accepted less than 15,000 immigrants over the last 5 years

Source is Thom Hartmann's radio show from one day last week. Sorry, but I don't recall which day.

[Maestro]

13. The veracity of this has yet to be determined

http://www.snopes.com/politics/immigration/usimmigrant.asp