Mexico to Boost Diplomatic Staff Near U.S. Border
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SAN ANTONIO — The Mexican government will beef up its diplomatic staff along the U.S.-Mexico border to help protect illegal immigrants in the face of a new crackdown by U.S. authorities.
Mexican officials said Friday that as many as 70 people will be added to consular staffs in the United States in the coming weeks to defend Mexican immigrants from human rights abuses.
At the same time, the Mexican government will expand its campaign within Mexico to inform its citizens about the dangers of illegal immigration, they said.
The actions were announced at the end of two days of meetings in San Antonio by Mexican Foreign Ministry officials and Texas-based Mexican diplomats. They gathered to discuss the launch Monday of Operation Rio Grande, a U.S. crackdown against illegal immigration in south Texas.
Operation Rio Grande would foment anti-immigrant sentiment and put Mexicans making illegal border crossings in danger, according to a Mexican official.
“This type of policy exacerbates the anti-immigrant climate and, with that, damages the harmony that should exist in border communities,” said Juan Rebolledo, Mexico’s undersecretary for foreign affairs.
Operation Rio Grande is a continuation of earlier crackdowns in San Diego and El Paso.
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