If it were only a joke...

Mexico's five consulates in Arizona will open a telephone call center in Tucson next week.

The call center will handle assistance or complaint calls from Mexican nationals - especially those here illegally.

Officials decided on the move in response to increasingly restrictive measures such as Arizona's employer sanctions law and more negative attitudes toward immigrants.

It will be the first of several call centers planned for cities along the border.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon issued a directive earlier in the year for consulates in the United States to use their protection programs to respond to the new laws cracking down on illegal immigrants.

The center will be staffed around the clock by nine people specially trained to field and process reports particularly from illegal immigrants.