Release: Rosarito Program for Expats Earns Praise of U.S. Consul
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=57164
11/25/2005
ROSARITO BEACH, Mexico, Nov. 25 /U.S. Newswire/ -- A program that may be the first of its kind in Mexico has earned praise from the U.S. Consul and
others for assisting thousands of expatriates living in this beachfront city. That program is the city-funded Foreign Residents Attention Office
(FRAO), which officially opened its doors in September in Rosarito's City Hall.
Rosarito Beach has been a popular tourist destination for decades. Many who visit the city eventually move there. The city estimates that 14,000
residents, about 10 percent of its population, are foreign nationals. The largest group is Americans, most from California. Mark Leoni, U.S. Consul in
Tijuana, last week praised efforts by FRAO, with which he has worked closely.
"The FRAO through its outreach and attention to Americans, and close cooperation with us, is a boost to our protection efforts," Leoni said. "If every
city in Mexico was as favorably disposed towards its expatriate residents, and as motivated to assist them, our job would be much easier. The concrete
benefits include dissemination of information, increased awareness of the consulate's role, and the fact that the FRAO helps Americans to assimilate
into local society, which makes them less likely to have problems requiring our intervention."
Helping expatriates feel comfortable is one of the office's main goals, said Marco A. Corona, the city's director of public relations, the department
of which FRAO is a part. "Our goal is total integration and a sense of well-being for expatriates," Corona said. FRAO works to achieve that by
offering advice or referrals on immigration, real estate transactions, legal matters and cultural questions. In a pamphlet for expatriates, Mayor
Antonio Macias Garay thanks expatriates "for being part of us."
Several hundred people have contacted Olivia del Corral, the one-person staff of FRAO. del Corral said she hopes FRAO will eventually have four
employees. She frequently serves as a referral agency -- often to the U.S. Consulate -- for people with complex questions. del Corral believes FRAO is
the only agency of its kind in Mexico. Some questions are easy to answer, such as "Where can an expatriate get married in Rosarito Beach?" City Hall
can provide that service; so can hotels for a fancier event. Some questions are trickier, like "How do I meet someone to marry?" But del Corral tries
her best to answer them all. "We want people to feel they have a sympathetic ear," she said.
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