VZCZCXRO3988
PP RUEHNG
DE RUEHNG #0036/01 0410306
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 100306Z FEB 07
FM AMCONSUL NOGALES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4090
INFO RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO PRIORITY 0718
RUEHNG/AMCONSUL NOGALES 1634

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