09/01/11 The Chicago Consul General of Mexico, Eduardo Arnal, visited Plymouth Tuesday afternoon and met with Mayor Mark Senter to discuss some of his goals for the Mexicans living in the 128 counties under his jurisdiction throughout portion s of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana.  He also talked about how we can work together and help the Hispanic population integrate into the community.

A common question Arnal gets pertains to immigration and is why Mexicans do not enter the U.S. legally. “The answer is easy,” said Arnal. “Because it is impossible, not difficult—impossible.”  He said that many baby boomers in the U.S. are retiring and the immigrant help is needed to do those jobs.

Consul General Arnal spoke about the drastic changes that have taken place in his country since 2000. Not only do they have full democracy, a new political party is in place and there are major economic changes including them having the 2nd lowest inflation rate, just behind Canada.  His country is also working to reduce the gap between the rich and poor.

Another major change is the way Mexico is handling their fight against drug dealers, the cartels and the trafficking of illegal weapons.  He said, “Just like the U.S. did in the 70’s, we are forcing them to move their businesses to the worst possible conditions.”  He continued, “We are not going to stop until they move out from Mexico,” said Arnal.

The Consul General presented Mayor Senter with a booklet which shows examples of ID cards that have been issued by the Mexican Government.  It shows those cards which are expired and examples of the newer cards that have been issued.  The new cards have special security features that can be verified with a plastic decoder sheet.  Arnal gave the mayor a stack of the decoders to pass on to the various police agencies in the county.  He said, “You can be 100 percent sure of their identity.”

The meeting lasted nearly 40 minutes and Mayor Senter presented Arnal with a proclamation and the key to the city.  He also thanked him for his efforts and his goal to work with the counties in his jurisdiction.  In return Arnal presented the Mayor with some chocolates.

Rebecca Griffy, director of Heart and Hands attend the meeting and present  Arnal gifts of artisan bread and some Blueberry Festival souvenirs.