THE NEW FUTURE Juan Hernandez on Terror 11 on terror Mon Nov 26 00:00:00 EST 2001 Minister of Migrant Affairs, Mexico This is a moment for us to show what we're made of, to rise to the challenge. I'm going to travel more now, get on more planes, continue to work for a better U.S.-Mexican relationship--instead of being controlled by fear. But yes, it is a new world, and it's very sad to all of us, especially those of us living in North America. This did not happen to a distant neighbor; this happened to family. At least 18 Mexican nationals were in the World Trade Center. What has happened to the U.S. happened to our 22 million Mexicans and Mexican Americans up there. That's the way we see it. I've been to the U.S. every week since Sept. 11, and four times to New York. I don't see hardened hearts. On the contrary, I see a softer heart toward Mexico. California came to a decision after the 11th that even undocumented immigrants can attend the state university. The governor of Arizona told me recently she saw no reason they couldn't pass a bill there allowing the same thing. And the attorney general of Texas said a few weeks ago that he didn't see where in the law it says you need a Social Security number to get a driver's license. Rosario Marin, the new Treasurer of the U.S., called me last week. She is a Mexican American. She wanted to come visit high-migration, poverty-stricken regions in Mexico. [Representative Richard] Gephardt and [Senator Tom] Daschle called the next day, also wanting to visit these regions. It's in the interests of both the U.S. and Mexico to bring development to these regions where people are leaving and migrating to the U.S. I don't know if the new interest in this among U.S. government officials is motivated by the recent events. All I know is that I got those calls last week.