I got this email about immigrants, and snopes isn't debunking it (yet)

[skipos]

Anyone have any info on it?

Snopes has it as undetermined.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/immigration/usimmigrant.asp

Sorry for the length.

> To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
> Subject: Working in Mexico
>
>
> 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 might be 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 these 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
> were instructed on Mexican tax, labor, housing, and criminal law and
> about how we were required to obey these laws or face the
> consequences. We could not protest any of the Government's 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 U.S.
> Customs in Loredo Texas. This meant we had to rent furniture in Mexico
> while awaiting our goods. There were extensive fees inv olved 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 driver's 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 U.S. 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 a
> 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 g rasp. If he got his hands on it, we would have
> to pay a 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 company's Mexican accountants
> did this for us, and we just signed what they prepared. It was about
> twenty legal size pages annually.
>
> The FM 3 was good for three years and renewable for two more after
> more fees were paid.
>
> Leaving the country meant turning in the FM3 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 U.S. 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 U.S. or Mexican T.V. 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 anyone who thinks we are being
> hard on illegal immigrants.

[maddezmom]

1. here's another DU thread w/ some info

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=1088428

[Asgaya Dihi]

2. I'm not sure why it should matter

I do know that Mexico has in the past had pretty restrictive rules about who can own property or business, so although I don't know about the details here it could well be true. I'm not sure how that should change the way we look at immigrants trying to escape Mexico though. They aren't responsible for it, their Government is. We don't want to be held responsible for Bush, the Iraqi's don't deserve what they've got just because Saddam was irrational and hard to deal with, and I don't think a dirt poor Mexican who just wants a better life for their kids should pay for the attitudes of their Governments.

Seems more like something we should take up with their leadership, not take out on their people. Looks to me like it's just a way to stir up anger against immigrants when they aren't even the ones who are responsible for it.

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. Every government has a right to set up laws to protect itself.

Mexico is allowed to do it, China too. And so does the USA.

I think we should have a comparative study of all countries. Does any other country have open borders? China? India? Israel? England?

Canada will probably come the closest, and as much as there is to like about Canada, their liberal methods create a host of other problems.

[northzax]

3. hmm sounds a lot like

what you have to do to immigrate almost anywhere. big deal.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. What's the point?

[brmdp3123]

8. The point is...

that whenever the US wants to place similar requirements on immigration here, there is a huge uproar.

[radwriter0555]

9. There ARE similiar requirements. It's very difficult to become a US

citizen.

Mexico protects its real estate from predatory corporations who would try to do to it what they tried to do to Cuba.

I think it's very smart.

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. Other than banning Mexican and Central American immigration entirely,

I don't know how our govt could make it any more difficult for those immigrants.

Why do you think they come here ILlegally??

Read up on immigration policy. It is nearly impossible to immigrate here legally from Mexico and Central America.

[Gman]

5. From my knowledge of living in S Texas, and working with

Mexican Nationals (legal and wealthy), this sounds about right. From my time working for SBC, I remember O'Malley. Didn't know him but knew who he was. SBC had many people working in Mexico. Many worked for Telemex, the Mexican phone company (not Taco Bell as the phone company joke goes). SBC has owned part of Telemex for probably 15 years (the ownership used to be something like 23%.) Some also worked for SW Bell Yellow Pages. Had one good friend that was there with Yellow Pages for quite a few years. The info in this email is consistent with a lot of what I've heard over the years. All in all, I don't have a lot of reason to doubt this.

on edit...
My friend with Yellow Pages often joked about the bribes and payoffs that had to be made. Once I was standing there when a corporate VP asked him how long it took to get a phone in Mexico. His reply, "How much money do you have?" Wrong answer if he wanted to comply with corporate decorum which my friend couldn't have cared less about. Made me spit my drink (in front of the VP too!) It was irreverantly hilarious.

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. Palm greasing.

It was prevalent in the Central American country I grew up in.

[Gman]

11. It's prevalent South of Interstate 10

and west of Interstate 37 and straight south as far as you can go from there.

[Mr.Green93]

10. Would you want SWM Americans

in your country?

[Cleita]

12. This could be true as much of it is often true for many

Latin American Nations. The difference is that you wait a reasonable length of time to get your Visa usually just weeks or months, not years like immigrants have to wait here. The quotas need to be raised for Mexico so that the workers can get here legally in time to do the work they are needed for like picking harvests.

Unlike many accusers here on DU, those of us who sympathize with the immigrants are not for illegal immigration but for increased quotas to allow those immigrants to enter legally and to work openly where they are needed when there aren't enough American workers to do so.