-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Calling All Salvadorans: Extend Your Amnesties and Send More Money! Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2002 09:45:30 -0500 From: Tiny Human Ferret Organization: Copyright 2002 all rights reserved. Non-UseNet transmission prohibited Newsgroups: alt.politics.immigration,alt.politics.usa,alt.politics It seems that about 1/4 of all Salvadorans live in the USA, and porbably most are sending their money home, about $2-billions per year. El Salvador's government is taking unprecendented steps to make sure the cash keeps coming: the President of El Salvador has had an automatic calling service dial up all of the Salvadorans that could be found, giving them news, updates, and a request to deluge US offices with paperwork. >From http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36753-2002Nov10.html [comments interspersed, please discuss under Fair Use] Calling All Salvadorans On Deadline, Country Pushes U.S. Work Permits By Mary Beth Sheridan Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, November 11, 2002; Page A01 Blanca Rodriguez, 28, a teacher's aide, arrived at her home in the Maryland suburbs recently to find an unexpected voice on her answering machine. It was the president of El Salvador -- calling her and hundreds of thousands of other Salvadoran immigrants. "I was so surprised. There was no explanation of how he got my number," said the Burtonsville resident. The recorded message from President Francisco Flores was part of an unprecedented campaign by the Salvadoran government urging immigrants to meet a deadline tomorrow to extend U.S. work permits they received through an emergency program. The campaign reflects how poor countries increasingly view immigrants in places such as Washington or Los Angeles as crucial to their own development. Salvadorans send home to their families almost ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ $2 billion each year from the United States. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "We are the first government in the world ... to do half a million calls" ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ to its citizens in the United States, said Salvadoran Ambassador Rene ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Leon, who has pursued a frenetic travel schedule in recent weeks, from Los Angeles to Boston to Dallas, to inform Salvadorans about the deadline. "We are pioneers, with other governments like Mexico, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ in doing community diplomacy," he added, focusing as much on places like Falls Church as on Foggy Bottom. The Bush administration granted temporary protected status (TPS) to many Salvadorans in March 2001, arguing that they should be allowed to stay here and work legally because their country had just been shattered by two earthquakes. About 278,000 applied in the first round of the program ending in September, roughly one-third of them from the Washington area, Leon said. The program was open only to people who had arrived before mid-February 2001. Now, the U.S. government is allowing those Salvadorans to register for a one-year extension. To spread that message, the Salvadoran government is reaching directly into homes here -- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ a sign of how politics is stretching beyond borders as immigration increases. Maria Lopez, 24, flipped on Spanish-language TV at her home in Arlington recently to find Flores appealing to immigrants to re-register for the temporary work permit. "It's interesting. He really knows what's going on here," said a surprised Lopez. [ It doesn't surprise me at ALL. I have been telling people for some years that the Salvadoran community is as organized as any military operation, with plainclothes operatives permeating the community, gathering intelligence and developing strategies to increase the flow of money out of the Washington DC area and back to El Salvador. Part of that strategy, I can state from very painful experience, includes assaults on and harassment of anyone pointing this out. --klaatu] El Salvador's campaign has gone well beyond TV ads. Videos shown on its national airline, TACA, describe the work-permit program so that travelers will inform their relatives. In the United States, workers have handed out letters from the Salvadoran president at soccer games and at parties held to help immigrants re-register. In the most ambitious initiative, the long-distance phone company Americatel agreed to send a recorded message from the Salvadoran president into the homes of 750,000 U.S. clients in its database who had called El Salvador, Leon said. Two-thirds of them picked up the calls, the ambassador said. "Many Salvadorans have told me, with great emotion, that they had received a call from the president," Leon said. "They didn't know how President Flores knew their phone number." Programs like the TPS for Salvadorans have been ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ criticized by opponents of large-scale immigration, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ who note they often lead to permanent stays. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ But the programs have meant a new life for many who previously lived in the shadows. Job prospects for illegal immigrants have become increasingly bleak since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, with more employers insisting on proper immigration documents. [ You're damn right and it's about time! --klaatu] "It helps you advance a lot," said Lopez, who sneaked into the United States four years ago ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ to escape poverty back home. Thanks to the ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ work permit, she moved from a restaurant job, where she got paid under the table, to a hotel housekeeping job, where she makes $2 more an hour and receives benefits -- increasingly important now that she has a baby. Lopez was part of a stream of Salvadorans signing up for their new permits on Friday at the Falls Church office of the Hispanic Committee of Virginia. The immigrants ran the gamut from an engineer to an illiterate peasant. Some had arrived in the United States as recently as December 2000; others, like Ana Amaya of Alexandria, had become thoroughly Americanized. She came with her parents 15 years ago, when she was 12. "I don't know El Salvador," Amaya said. [ so why th' heck don't you become a Citizen or Permenent Resident Alien? --klaatu] Immigrant-assistance groups in the Washington area have been working overtime helping Salvadorans re-register, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ with many opening their offices today, a federal holiday, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ to beat the deadline. [ Heh, knew the INS was going to be taking the day off, wouldn't be raiding you like you deserve, eh? --klaatu] Such groups, as well as the Immigration and Naturalization Service, have praised the Salvadoran government's outreach to its citizens here. [ And clearly the INS is not just broken, but schizophrenic to the point where it can't recall that its job is to REMOVE ILLEGAL ALIENS, not to COMPLIMENT their enabling agencies which are acting blatantly as Agents of a Foreign Power furthering criminal enterprise! --klaatu "It's a day-and-night change," said Saul Solorzano, executive director of the CARECEN immigrant-services agency in Columbia Heights. He recalled meeting with the Salvadoran ambassador in the early 1990s, after the U.S. government offered its first TPS program for Salvadorans who had fled during their country's civil war. At the time, Salvadoran officials were insisting that ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ conditions in their country were fine, Solorzano recalled. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ [ There has been nothing from which to seek refuge from in El Salvador for ten years, other than poverty. --klaatu] The ambassador "was calling me a subversive because I was trying to get his support for an extension of TPS," Solorzano said. "Now, they have the need for remittances. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ They understand it's a big advantage for El Salvador ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ for people to have this status." ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Leon, the current ambassador, insists this is not all about the immigrants' money. [ Yeah, right. --klaatu] Migration from his country has been so dramatic that about one-quarter of Salvadorans now live in the United States, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ he said. He added that he is just serving his fellow citizens. "Salvadorans who live here are part of our country," he said. [ Your Occupation Forces, don't you mean? --klaatu] So far, the campaign appears successful. Leon estimated last week that only about 10 to 15 percent of those with TPS permits had not requested extensions. Many of them were immigrants who had signed up toward the end of the first registration period and hadn't yet gotten their initial permit, he said. The Salvadoran government has asked President Bush to allow such people to re-register after the deadline. That is not the only wrinkle in the campaign. At least a few Salvadoran immigrants are miffed about the calls from the country's president. After years in the United States, they have become as privacy-obsessed as their neighbors here. Rodriguez, for example, is a U.S. permanent resident and thus doesn't need the TPS work permit. She fears that politicians from El Salvador will continue to send messages ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ to her phone as that country's legislative elections approach. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "I thought, being here, they'd leave me in peace," she said. Well, there you have it. Yet-another country operating as a "distributed nation", exporting nearly a majority of its citizens abroad to send money back to the motherland. Only now it's reaching out directly into the homes of nearly a million expatriates, sending messages, demanding action. How long will it be before that action which is demanded isn't simply to fill out forms? What will those phone calls be saying if the US actually starts controlling its borders? -- Be kind to your neighbors, even though they be transgenic chimerae. Whom thou'st vex'd waxeth wroth: Meow. <-----> http://earthops.net/klaatu/