MEXICO CITY — Latin American nations are trying to locate citizens
affected by Katrina, worried illegal immigrants may not seek help for
fear of being deported.
Tens of thousands of Latin Americans, most from Mexico and Honduras,
were living in the New Orleans area prior to the hurricane.
President Vicente Fox urged Mexicans to seek help from emergency
officials during a televised address Friday in both Spanish and English.
He said his government had reached an agreement with U.S. authorities
that "those who were not documented at the time will not be subject to
any pressure or persecution whatsoever."
Officials had no reports of any Mexican deaths, but 87 citizens were
reported missing, said Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez.
Some consular officials worried that illegal migrants may be avoiding
authorities to duck questions about their immigration status, exposing
themselves to even greater danger.
"We are sending messages that we consider very important so that they
can receive the help of authorities without any fear," said Carlos
Gonzalez, Mexican consul to Houston, in a radio interview that was
broadcast in Mexico City.
Consular officials estimated that about 40,000 Mexicans were living in
Louisiana, most in New Orleans. That was second only Honduras, with an
estimated 150,000 citizens in the submerged metropolis and surrounding
areas.
"We're trying to find out where our citizens are," said Jorge Vitanza,
vice consul of Honduras in New Orleans.
The consulate estimated that 40,000 Hondurans may have been forced from
their homes by Katrina, but it had no reports of deaths.
"Many of them were evacuated or left before it got bad," Vitanza said.
"But we also know that there still are a lot of people in New Orleans,
that many did not leave."
Many Latin American nations have offered help. Derbez said Friday that
his government was awaiting permission from the United States to send
assistance, including ships and rescue personnel.
He said Mexico also would set up temporary consulates near the disaster
area to help Mexicans and Central Americans affected by the storm.
Rafael Rojas, a Mexican doctor, was among 1,200 people trapped by
floodwaters at New Orleans' Charity Hospital on Friday.
"Help us, please!" he sobbed in an interview with Mexico's Televisa
network.
Honduras and Nicaragua, which were devastated by flooding from Hurricane
Mitch in 1998, offered to send flooding and sanitation experts to help
in rescue and recovery efforts.
And El Salvador, the only Latin American country with troops still in
Iraq, offered Thursday to send soldiers to the United States to help
stop looting.
El Salvador said it had 9,600 citizens living in the area affected by
Katrina.
Brazil's government news agency reported that 10,000 Brazilians live in
New Orleans.
Peru's Foreign Ministry said Friday that it had located 10 Peruvian
expatriates -- including three children -- from Gulf Coast states. The
statement did not provide information about their condition.
Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, and Chile
also reported efforts to reach displaced citizens.
Associated Press Writers Freddy Cuevas in Tegucigalpa, Honduras;
Vivian Sequera in Brasilia, Brazil; Marcos Aleman in San Salvador, El
Salvador; Juan Zamorano in Panama City, Panama; Marianela Jimenez in San
Jose, Costa Rica; Federico Quilodran in Santiago, Chile; Ian James in
Caracas, Venezuela; Rick Vecchio in Lima, Peru; and Sergio de Leon in
Guatemala City contributed to this report.
