W/W: CASE OF THREE ABANDONED MINORS: MIGDALIA, SUJEY, AND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NOGALES 000036 SIPDIS SIPDIS CA/OCS/ACS/WHA SAMUEL COLON-RUIZ E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CASC MX SUBJECT: W/W: CASE OF THREE ABANDONED MINORS: MIGDALIA, SUJEY, AND OSMAR JIMENEZ ¶1. SUMMARY: On Thursday, February 8, 2007, Post received notification from Mexican officials that a babysitter had abandoned three amcit minors and left them in the care of the Mexican Family Services, Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF). ¶2. (Child 1) NAME: HERNANDEZ JIMENEZ, Migdalia Patricia; DPOB: January 8, 2002, Phoenix AZ; EVIDENCE OF U.S. CITIZENSHIP: Arizona Birth Certificate No. B 102-2002-001215 issued October 28, 2006, faxed to Post by her mother ¶3. (Child 2) NAME: PEREZ JIMENEZ, Sujey Betsabeth; DPOB: August 13, 2003, Phoenix, AZ; EVIDENCE OF U.S. CITIZENSHIP: Arizona Birth Certificate No. B 102-2003-052303 issued October 28, 2006, faxed to Post by her mother ¶4. (Child 3) NAME: PEREZ JIMENEZ, Osmar Valentin; DPOB: May 4, 2005, Phoenix, AZ; EVIDENCE OF U.S. CITIZENSHIP: Arizona Birth Certificate No. B 102-2005-029780 issued October 28, 2006, faxed to Post by his mother ¶5. CURRENT LOCATION OF THE MINORS: All minors are currently in the custody of Mexican DIF authorities in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. The girls, Migdalia and Sujey, are at a private girls orphanage called "Casa Hogar Para Ninas Madre Conchita." The boy, Osmar, is under the care of an employee of the boys shelter. Osmar was not admitted to the shelter because there were no adequate facilities for an eighteen-month infant. Conoff visited all three children on Friday February 9 and all appeared healthy and well treated in their temporary housing assignments. ¶6. HEALTH ISSUES: None detected. ¶7. LOCATION OF PARENTS: The children's mother, Migdalia Jimenez, is an undocumented Mexican citizen living at 3317 South 93 Avenue, Tolleson, AZ 85353, a community near Phoenix, AZ approximately 3 hours drive from Nogales, Mexico. Ms. Jimenez's cell phone number is (602) 621-2701. The father of Migdalia Patricia, the eldest child, is Amilcar Efrain Hernandez Martinez. Mr. Hernandez is a Legal Permanent Resident in the U.S. also living in Tolleson, AZ, but not at the same address as Ms. Jimenez. Mr. Hernandez's work phone number is (623) 293-1100. The father of Sujey and Osmar is Valentin Perez Barrera. Mr. Perez is believed to be in Mexico, but with unknown exact whereabouts. ¶8. CIRCUMSTANCES OF ABANDONMENT: Ms. Jimenez told ConOff that she became ill on Friday, January 26, 2007, and asked her Mexican citizen babysitter, Isabel Americano Lopez, to care of her three youngest children. Ms. Jimenez has not had contact with the children after that time. She told conoff she has six children and did not feel her older children could adequately look after their younger siblings. Ms. Jimenez said she gave permission to her babysitter to take the children to the babysitter's home in Nogales, Mexico. Ms. Jimenez said they had an understanding that the babysitter would return the children to Ms. Jimenez' residence after the weekend of Jan 28. The babysitter did not return with the children, however, instead she abandoned the children at the DIF offices in Nogales, Mexico on Thursday February 8 for reasons which remain unclear. District Attorney, Eduardo Chavez, tel. 011-52-631-313-0915 notified Post the same day. The babysitter has cell phone number 011-52-1-631-116-4543, but Post has been unsuccessful to reach her. ¶9. W/W VISIT: On Friday, February 9, ConOff and ConAssist visited the three children at local DIF shelters where they appeared happy and in good HEALTH and spirits. Current housing assignments appeared adequate for their temporary care. Conoff provided diapers and toys for the children. ¶10. ACTIONS TAKEN AT POST: Upon learning of the children's abandonment, Post immediately contacted Ms. Jimenez and informed her of the children's whereabouts. Post requested and received from her faxed copies of the children's birth certificates. DIF officials told post that they were in informal contact with Arizona Children's Protective Services (CPS) regarding the children's return to the United States. Post telephoned CPS in Tucson, and spoke with Jenny Zelt, tel. (520) 628-6810 ext 229 to follow up on DIF's initial report and to help coordinate efforts to repatriate the children. Although Ms. Zelt said there was not an open case for the children and advised conoff to contact the CPS Hotline at (888) 767-2445 and open a Child Abandonment Case. She added that Ms. Jimenez had twice previously reported physical and sexual abuse on the children by her companions, ONE of which was a case of sexual abuse that was validated by CPS. That case involved charges against Valentin Perez, father of two of the abandoned children, Osmar and Sujey, against a then five-year old sibling of the children . After NOGALES 00000036 002 OF 002 calling the CPS Hotline to report the abandoned children Conoff spoke with Lindsey Adams, tel. (602) 644-3069, of the CPS office in Glendale, AZ who is currently conducting the investigation and will coordinate repatriation with Post and DIF. Post also contacted Martin Steiner with the Office of Children's Issues informing him of the case. ¶11. COMMENT: Ms. Jimenez told conoff that she expected her children to stay with the babysitter only over the weekend and to return January 28. Although the children have been gone for two weeks and she did not know where they were, Ms. Jimenez did not notify Arizona, Mexican or U.S. Consulate authorities to try and locate them. She told conoff that she does not intend to come to Nogales for the children as she was undocumented and was concerned she would not be re-admitted to the United States. Ms. Jimenez told conoff and CPS case worker that she has been in contact with a cousin of her brother in the Mexican state of Guerro, a distance of several days drive from Nogales, and has asked him to come to Nogales, pick up the children and take them back to Guerro. In Post's communications with CPS and DIF, Post has repeatedly expressed concern for the welfare of the children, preference to repatriate the children into the custody of Arizona CPS and our reluctance to return the children directly to their mother without first a full investigation by child welfare authorities. END COMMENT. SHARPE