Huckabee illegal Consulate

Legality of Huckabee’s Mexican consulate deal questioned

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ELECTION 2008

Legality of Huckabee’s Mexican consulate deal questioned

Critics say Arkansas citizens, businesses financed office to draw illegal workers

Posted: November 1, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern





By Jerome R. Corsi




© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com







Robert Trevino

Financial inducements arranged by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to establish a Mexican consular office in Little Rock may have violated state law, according to an Arkansas attorney.

As WND reported yesterday,
critics in Arkansas charge Huckabee, who lately has enjoyed a surge in
his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, worked with some of
the state’s most prominent and politically powerful businesses to
establish the consulate as a magnet for drawing illegal immigrants to
the state to accept low-paying jobs.

Huckabee, in an interview with WND, strongly denied the allegations.

Arkansas
attorney Chip Sexton provided WND a written legal brief arguing the
state government’s sublease to Mexico of office space for the consulate
was illegal under Arkansas law. Sexton contended the deal raised
questions about the appropriateness of private citizens and
corporations in Arkansas providing financial incentives for the
government of Mexico to locate a consulate office in Little Rock.

(Story continues below)

“This
arrangement to bring a Mexican consulate to Little Rock and the manner
in which it occurred amounts to a ‘consul-gate,'” Sexton told WND. “I’m
an Arkansas citizen, why doesn’t the state lease me some property and
furniture for $1 per year?”

Robert Trevino, commissioner of Arkansas Rehabilitation Services,
told WND he and Huckabee helped arrange state and private financial
support to induce Mexico to establish the consulate as a business
development “quid pro quo.”


Trevino signed on July 7, 2006, a “Facilities Use Agreement” with
Mexican consular officials to rent state government office space for $1
a year on the second floor of the Arkansas Rehabilitation Services
building at 26 Corporate Hills in Little Rock.

Sexton
points to Arkansas law, which appears to prohibit state agencies,
including Arkansas Rehabilitation Services, from sub-leasing government
space.

Ark.
Code Ann. § 22-2-114(C)(i) provides: “After July 1, 1975, no state
agency shall enter into or renew or otherwise negotiate a lease between
itself as lessor or lessee and a nongovernmental or other government
lessor or lessee.”

“Even
more offensive, there was nothing in the lease or other agreements that
would have prevented the Mexican consulate from providing legal
assistance to illegal aliens,” Sexton told WND. “We have information
that the Mexican consulate operating out of the Arkansas Rehabilitation
Facility was providing legal assistance even to Mexican illegal aliens
who were accused of committing violent crimes in Arkansas.”

Sexton
said he and other critics have “called on the Arkansas attorney
general’s office to set the lease aside and recover the value of the
lease.”

A
memo Trevino wrote July 21, 2006, indicating the mortgage for the land
to build a new, permanent Mexican consulate in Little Rock was arranged
by Arkansas commercial real estate developer Bob Burrow and that the $7,500 mortgage would be paid by Arkansas corporations to support the Mexican consular presence for three years.

WND
also has also obtained copies of invoices from Arkansas construction
contractor Baldwin & Shell charging $60,000 for building the new
consulate at 3500 South University Park in Little Rock.

A
copy of a check from the city of Little Rock, dated June 1, indicates
contractor Baldwin & Shell was paid $60,000 as requested.

Trevino,
in the WND interview, did not dispute the documentary record, but he
argued the state government and the sponsoring Arkansas businesses did
expect to receive financial returns, in the form of expanded exports to
Mexico.

“I
executed that lease agreement as part of the former governor’s
agreement to provide certain assistance to Mexican officials once they
located to Little Rock, because their offices wouldn’t be ready for
some time,” Trevino said.

Trevino
explained that the counsel general of Mexico, Carlos Garcia de Alba, on
behalf of the Mexican government, had asked for Huckabee’s
consideration.

“So,
the sublease agreement was in fulfillment of Governor Huckabee’s
agreement to assist them as they moved to Little Rock,” he said.

Trevino further explained the written sublease agreement came only on the insistence of the Arkansas Building Authority.

“The
request from the Mexicans was strictly to allow their officials to use
their computers, to have a seat and a chair, to be able to plug their
computers in to do business,” Trevino said. “It wasn’t ever envisioned
to be a long-term agreement. It was just a temporary opportunity for
them.”

Trevino said Mexican officials estimated their permanent office would be available within a few months.

“We
had some office space that we weren’t using but the state was paying
for anyhow,” he explained. “We would not be able to use that office
space, because the furniture which was adapted for people with
disabilities and our staff wouldn’t be available until November.”

Trevino said Arkansas officials felt, therefore, “it was cost-effective for us to kill two birds with one stone.”

“It
was a quid pro quo in that the Mexican government was already helping
Arkansas businesses to compete selling their products in Mexico,” he
said. “We had already realized some benefit, so it was basically a good
natured gesture – an expression of a mutual working relationship with
regard to promoting Arkansas products in Mexico.”

The
State Building Authority, which regulates the buildings, he said, then
recommended Arkansas “put something in writing, because oftentimes for
contingencies and liabilities we would be at least underscore that we
were establishing them to allow to work from that office for a short
period of time.”

Essentially, Trevino argued, “we were covering the state’s interest. We were making official an informal agreement.”

Trevino argued that the temporary space provided the Mexican consulate was not used to conduct official consular business.

“They
weren’t even empowered to conduct official duties at that time,” he
said. “They had only two staff members, including the current consul in
Little Rock. They felt like because of the time frame was so
abbreviated because of their need, they just needed someplace to put
their computer, as I mentioned.”

Arkansas
private investigator Michael Hardy disagreed, arguing in a July 25,
2006, investigative report, a copy of which has been provided to WND,
that Arkansas receptionists were taking messages for the Mexican
consulate at 26 Cooperate Hills.

“On
July 25, 2006, I went to 26 Cooperate Hills,” Hardy told WND in
telephone interview yesterday, “and Stephanie, the receptionist on duty
when you first enter the building told me that the two Mexicans were
not there that day, but she was instructed to take messages for them
when they were not present.”

Hardy left a message for Consul Andres Chao, but never received a return call.

Trevino
confirmed that Arkansas business leaders and corporations arranged the
land purchase and paid the mortgage on the Mexican consulate’s new
building.

“Mr.
Burrow had developed not only a friendship but a business interest in
Mexico,” Trevino told WND. “He had offered to the Mexican government to
sponsor and facilitate their location to Arkansas, and that was an
agreement made between Mr. Burrow and the Mexican government, which
you’ll have to speak to them (about). That was beyond my authority and
my official duties.”

WND placed a second phone call yesterday to Burrow’s Jonesboro office but received no return call.

“With
regard to the other companies,” Trevino continued, “there were some
companies that came to our attention that we conveyed over to the
Mexican government, companies that had said they were interested in
sponsoring the Mexican government.”

Trevino told WND he could not recall which Arkansas companies were involved in sponsoring the Mexican companies.

“A
number of companies, particularly ones who do business internationally,
were very excited about the prospect of a Mexican consulate
establishing a presence in the state, which was for the reasons I
stated earlier – for enhanced business development opportunities for
Arkansas companies,” Trevino explained.

“If
you have spent any time in Arkansas, you know people are very generous
and hospitable here,” he continued. “So that was, from my perspective,
that was their intent – to demonstrate to the people of Mexico who were
in part their consumers, that they welcomed an opportunity to
strengthen business opportunities between our state and their economy
in Mexico.

“These
companies had discussions with the Mexican government that they would
sponsor the Mexican government to entice them, if you will,” he said.
“I should point out that this was the last consulate appointed under
the presidency of Vicente Fox, and the competition among states was
very keen from what they said. Other states wanted Mexico to establish
a Mexican consulate, as I mentioned, because a lot of trade
opportunities come with these consulates.”

Trevino
emphasized: “It never was our intent to get involved in the immigration
issue or to aid illegal immigration, that’s a federal issue. Our
interest and emphasis was and is strictly business development.”

He pointed to the many Arkansas companies, including Wal-Mart and Tyson Foods, that “do a good deal of business in Mexico,”

“So
the more we can facilitate better trade with that country for our
companies located here in Arkansas, we have a duty to do that as
officials,” he said.

Arkansas
attorney Sexton disagreed, insisting, “This whole scheme to get a
Mexican consulate to locate in Little Rock appears to be nothing more
than a veiled invitation for illegal immigrants to come to Arkansas to
work for the Arkansas corporations who want cheap labor.”
“The package is enhanced by social welfare benefits provided by the
state of Arkansas and financing assistance to support the Mexican
consulate’s presence in the state,” Sexton said.

Trevino
confirmed he was state director of the League of United Latin American
Citizens, also known as LULAC, an activist group strongly advocating
for rights of Hispanic immigrants in the U.S., when on Oct. 3, 2003, he
accompanied Huckabee in a state airplane to visit Fox in Mexico.

In 2003, Trevino was Huckabee’s economic development policy adviser.

In October 2005, Trevino was appointed by Huckabee to his current position as commissioner of Arkansas Rehabilitation Services.

Sexton is a partner in McCutchen, Sexton, Strunks, a Fort Smith, Ark., law firm.

Sexton
represented long-time activist Joe McCutchen in multiple Freedom of
Information Act requests that produced the documents discussed in this
story.

Joey McCutchen II, Sexton’s partner in the Fort Smith law firm, is the son of activist Joe McCutchen, who was quoted previously by WND.


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