Saturday night, October 17, after 36 hours of intense activity, Vicente Teran Uribe, Mayor of Agua Prieta, Sonora, declared formally closed the Migratón 2009 with a significantly positive balance: 44,916.4 pounds of donations for the benefit of migrants crossing the Naco - Douglas corridor.

At 10 pm, the podium of Plaza Plan de Agua Prieta again welcomed the authorities who accompanied President Teran on his reading of the results: Ms. Irma Villalobos de Teran and Ms. Eleanor Duarte, President and Director of Municipal DIF respectively; the Consul of Mexico in Douglas, Arizona, Oscar Antonio de la Torre Amezcua; the Regional Delegate of the National Institute of Migration in Agua Prieta, Ismael Miranda; and the Coordinator of Beta Group in Agua Prieta, Hugo Rivera Duarte.

The products donated in greatest volume were bottled water (13,733 pounds), canned food (7,231.3 pounds) women clothes (4,890 pounds) bean bags (2,915 pounds) and men clothes (2,703.2 pounds). Other significant contributions were shoes and instant soups.

A special recognition was addressed to the 202 volunteers involved in Migratón 2009, to whom both, Mayor Teran and Consul de la Torre, thanked for their commitment to the project.

The closing speeches of authorities agreed on the importance of maintain such a successful project and recognized the magnitude of the challenge for the next year; then, they all promised to boost Migratón in order to overcome the goal with the firm conviction of guaranteeing a decent way back home to migrant population.

The Consul of Mexico in Douglas, Arizona, Oscar Antonio de la Torre Amezcua, expressed appreciation to the general public for “helping us to help”. He pointed out that Migraton is the result of joint work and the strong belief of providing comprehensive care to an average of 100 thousand compatriots forced to return to Mexico every year; many of them with serious physical and moral injuries.

The Diplomat reiterated its commitment to the people and said that, per instructions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Patricia Espinoza Cantellano, and the President of the Republic, Felipe Calderon Hinojosa, the Consulate strives daily to guarantee a decent way back home for our compatriots; especially for those injured, dehydrated, hungry, robbed and, in the worst cases, dead. He also highlighted as a priority for his team, the attention to over one thousand children repatriated every year by the Douglas Port of Entry.

Finally, the Head of the Consulate of Mexico in Douglas, Arizona, emphasized the need to keep working together and multiply the shared efforts between government institutions, NGOs and society in benefit of the migrant population. “As a result of hard work, we exceed the target, collecting 44,916.4 pounds of aid to be distributed among institutions and organizations that provide care for our countrymen. For the Consulate, the commitment remains: will continue helping to help”.