Monterrey Grows as a Destination Spot

Fromt the Houston Chrnocile: By PURVA PATEL

$280 means a ride, assistance and a visa
BROWNSVILLE — Amid the stream of Indians, Germans and other foreign workers passing through his border hometown needing help getting to the U.S. Consulate in Matamoros for work visas, Mark Lehmann saw a business opportunity in the making.
"Used to be just one or two people a week," Lehmann said. "Last month, we took 400."
Last year, the U.S. Consulate in Matamoros issued 18,000 work visas, compared with 8,300 in 2006.
Matamoros is becoming an increasingly popular destination for the growing number of foreign citizens who say it usually offers a quick, same-day process that lets them avoid the long trips to their home countries and the backlogs there.
Today, Lehmann runs one of two better-known businesses in the area that get temporary workers permission to be in Mexico, drive them across the border and walk them through the process with tips on almost everything but legal matters.
The firms are thriving on foreign workers who come to Mexico to get visa extensions, renewals or changes in status — such as students hired right out of college — that allow them to travel freely in and out of the U.S.
The numbers have been fueled in part by post-Sept. 11 security measures that ended a mail-in visa revalidation process for some workers. Today, all foreign workers must go to U.S. Consulates in Mexico, Canada or their home country.
"Before, people often went on their own," said Lehmann, 27, who was working at the front desk of a Best Western in Brownsville when he spotted the trend four years ago. "They'd have problems, and I'd see people crying outside the consulate, not knowing what to do."
Seeing the rising numbers, Lehmann borrowed his mother's car and began driving the guests himself, laying the groundwork for Mexico Assistance Services — his business that each month helps hundreds of temporary workers in the U.S., including many from Houston, get to the consulate for their visas.
Round-trip service
Lars Langkowski had five days left on his visa before he decided to head to Matamoros for his renewal.
He called Consular Trip Services, which averages about 16 trips a month with about 10 people per trip.
Langkowski, a 28-year-old German national working as a consultant at Accenture in Houston, has to travel in and out of the U.S. for work.
"So, my options were going to Germany, which is an expensive flight and not as flexible as driving. Canada was close, but, again, a flight — so not flexible. Mexico was closer," he said.
Consular Trip Services picked up him and others holding closely guarded papers and passports at 6:45 a.m. at a Days Inn.
The company then drove Langkowski across the border. An employee escorted him through immigration, stood in the security line with him outside the consulate and then waited for him at a convenience store around the corner. By 10:30 a.m., Langkowski and most of the other workers were headed back to the U.S. with their visas.
The price was $280. Of that, about $130 went toward the visa application fee.
"It would have been cheaper on my own, no question. But the price was OK," Langkowski said. "I wanted to play it safe."

Attorneys not allowed in
Brownsville cab drivers said a ride to the consulate in Matamoros would run about $45, more cost-effective for a group that wants to split the fare.
But the companies say their price includes services a taxi can't provide, such as Internet and fax in their shuttles in case someone is missing documents. They also try to help those whose visas are delayed or denied.
"I had a guy who had to wait in Mexico for six months for a security clearance," said Lehmann, who also charges $280 for individuals and averages about 30 people per trip. "So I helped him find a place to stay, get toothpaste and stuff and have his luggage forwarded to him, things like that."
The companies, however, don't offer any legal services.
Before these businesses appeared, some Houston attorneys would drive workers down themselves.
But in 2004, U.S. Consulates in Mexico stopped allowing attorneys inside with applicants.
"You just became a glorified taxi driver because you couldn't enter the building, so we decided, 'Forget that,' " said Adan Vega, an attorney in Houston. "Now, we'll just prepare them the best we can and show them what they need to do and screen them to make sure they'll qualify."
A few attorneys, however, continue to make the trip for an added fee that can run more than $1,000. Often, they contract Mexico Assistance Services or Consular Trip Services to take care of what used to be a tedious errand for them.
Though the attorneys can't go in to their client's interview, they can consult with the consulate should questions arise.
At the very least, having the attorneys with them offers a level of comfort to clients who depend on the visa to work in the country, said Gordon Quan, a partner at Quan, Burdette & Perez in Houston.
"I think you're always scared that you're going to get stuck in Mexico if you don't know where to go," Quan said. "We have sophisticated engineers and professionals who are scared to go there alone, too."

Overly popular
So far, both Consular Trip Services and Mexico Assistance Services have relied on word of mouth and their Web sites as their main marketing tools.
Both are owned and run by Brownsville college students, who are weary of the companies' popularity.
Manuel Ramirez, 26, the chief operating officer of Consular Trip Services, is often late or misses class if there are delays in Mexico or he's busy updating the company's Web site.
"We never imagined it would grow this big," Ramirez said.