A.D. Ibarra

-Eagle Pass

     Mexican Consulate Ricardo Santana informed The News Gram of an initiative to repatriate hundreds of Mexican nationals who have been detained for immigration violations in the US and are being held by the US Border Patrol.

     Beginning April 26th, 47 of these illegal immigrants will be brought from the city of Laredo to be deported into a state other than their own to Piedras Negras, Coahuila to return to their place of origin on a daily basis at 10:00 A.M. every day for 60 days at International Bridge II in Eagle Pass.

     Santana stated that they are working in coordination with United States officials to get this done as part of an initiative to expedite the return of these Mexican nationals into Mexico.

"This is a pilot program for Mexican nationals deported from Laredo who are only men ages 20 to 60 years on charges of violation of immigration laws."

The Mexican Consulate notified all Mexican authorities to support them in this process.

"They will be forwarded at the National Institute of Migration as a workbench to personally interview each, confirm their nationality, and detect cases of consular protection."

The Consul told the News Gram that these individuals are not criminals, they are working people who entered the United States and were arrested for migratory laws and the return is known as lateral repatriations.

     Once there they will receive assistance from the consulate to make the necessary phone calls or to find out the schedule of the next bus returning to their states of origin.  Other services provided by the consulate include medical attention if so needed and if the need shelter, there is a place where they can stay in Piedras Negras until they can make contact with a family member if they need to to make the arrangements with family members.