Visiting Mexican consul seeks trust between immigrants, Lebanon police

(Lebanon) — Mexican diplomats met with City of Lebanon officials Thursday, hoping to improve relationships between Mexican nationals, including unauthorized immigrants, and police.

“The Mexican community has communicated with the consulate that they are afraid,” said Alicia Kerber-Palma, head consul at the Consul for Mexico in Philadelphia, in a later interview with the Lebanon Daily News.

Immigrants in Lebanon and elsewhere are increasingly scared during routine daily tasks like going to the grocery store or to church, she said. Immigrants who are in the United States without legal permission are reluctant to contact police, including in cases of domestic violence.

“Many Mexicans are not reporting criminal situations,” she said.

The consulate’s initiative comes as the Philadelphia office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement ramps up efforts to find and deport unauthorized immigrants. Twelve Mexicans were detained April 12 following an ICE raid at several Lebanon County pizza shops.

Both Kerber-Palma and Lebanon Mayor Sherry Capello said the meeting went well – and Capello said Lebanon police do not stop people on the street to investigate their immigration status.

However, she also emphasized that “the city of Lebanon is not a sanctuary city” and Lebanon cooperates with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

“A delicate situation”

After meeting with the Mexican consul, Lebanon City Police agreed to begin a public outreach initiative called “cup with a cop” to facilitate conversations between Mexican nationals and police. The first “cup with a cop” event could occur as early as June, Kerber-Palma said.

Public outreach from the consulate – including the “cup with a cop” idea – is something they have been doing in Philadelphia for years, she said. However, they are now expanding those efforts to smaller communities in Pennsylvania.

The Lebanon Police Department has three Hispanic police officers, including one of Mexican descent, that will likely be involved in the “cup with a cop” initiative, Capello said.

“We’re doing it because we do want to build trust with the immigrant population, and we’re hoping that if a crime is committed against them, that they do come, because they deserve justice as well,” she said.

But there are caveats.

Capello and Lebanon Police Chief Todd Breiner said their officers will not ask any person’s immigration status during an unrelated conversation. However, Lebanon police do not protect people who are in violation of immigration law.

“It’s a delicate situation,” Breiner said.

How the consulate can help

Kerber-Palma’s visit wasn’t only about immigration law.

She said she hopes Lebanon residents can appreciate that the United States and Mexico benefit each other. Mexico and Pennsylvania generated $8.3 billion in bilateral trade with Pennsylvania in 2015, and 200,000 Pennsylvania jobs depend on trade with Mexico, according to information provided by the consulate.

“In Mexico, you have an ally. You have people who believe that American people are friendly,” she said.

However, she warned she doesn’t want that relationship to change due to shifting American attitudes toward Mexican nationals. “Trust is very complicated to build,” she said.

She encouraged Mexican nationals to contact the consulate about any problems they have, including labor disputes and criminal cases, not just immigration. Mexican nationals, which include children of Mexican citizens, can also contact the consulate to gain the advantages of being a Mexican national – for instance, medical care or free public college in Mexico.

“No matter what, don’t be afraid. Call your consulate if you have any doubt in any situation,” she said.

Mexican nationals can begin receiving support from the consulate by calling the 24-hour hotline of the Center for Information and Assistance for Mexicans at 1-855-4636-395.  They can also download the app MiConsulmex on their smartphones.

Mexicans and people of Mexican heritage comprise about three percent of Lebanon’s population, according to United States Census Bureau data.

This story comes to us through a partnership between WITF and The Lebanon Daily News.