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Finding Foreigners After Katrina

Latin American nations are trying to locate citizens affected by Katrina, worried illegal immigrants may not seek help for fear of being deported.

Tens of thousands of Latin Americans, most from Mexico and Honduras, were living in the New Orleans area prior to the hurricane.

President Vicente Fox urged Mexicans to seek help from emergency officials during a televised address Friday in both Spanish and English.

He said his government had reached an agreement with U.S. authorities that "those who were not documented at the time will not be subject to any pressure or persecution whatsoever."

Officials had no reports of any Mexican deaths, but 87 citizens were reported missing, said Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez.

Some consular officials worried that illegal migrants may be avoiding authorities to duck questions about their immigration status, exposing themselves to even greater danger.

"We are sending messages that we consider very important so that they can receive the help of authorities without any fear," said Carlos Gonzalez, Mexican consul to Houston, in a radio interview that was broadcast in Mexico City.

Consular officials estimated that about 40,000 Mexicans were living in Louisiana, most in New Orleans. That was second only Honduras, with an estimated 150,000 citizens in the submerged metropolis and surrounding areas.

"We're trying to find out where our citizens are," said Jorge Vitanza, vice consul of Honduras in New Orleans.

The consulate estimated that 40,000 Hondurans may have been forced from their homes by Katrina, but it had no reports of deaths.

"Many of them were evacuated or left before it got bad," Vitanza said. "But we also know that there still are a lot of people in New Orleans, that many did not leave."

Many Latin American nations have offered help. Derbez said Friday that his government was awaiting permission from the United States to send assistance, including ships and rescue personnel.

He said Mexico also would set up temporary consulates near the disaster area to help Mexicans and Central Americans affected by the storm.

Rafael Rojas, a Mexican doctor, was among 1,200 people trapped by floodwaters at New Orleans' Charity Hospital on Friday.

"Help us, please!" he sobbed in an interview with Mexico's Televisa network.

Honduras and Nicaragua, which were devastated by flooding from Hurricane Mitch in 1998, offered to send flooding and sanitation experts to help in rescue and recovery efforts.

And El Salvador, the only Latin American country with troops still in Iraq, offered Thursday to send soldiers to the United States to help stop looting.

El Salvador said it had 9,600 citizens living in the area affected by Katrina.

Brazil's government news agency reported that 10,000 Brazilians live in New Orleans.

Peru's Foreign Ministry said Friday that it had located 10 Peruvian expatriates, including three children, from Gulf Coast states. The statement did not provide information about their condition.

Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, and Chile also reported efforts to reach displaced citizens.

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