The following press release is being issued by Interchildren, Inc. Throughout Mexico, childcare center owners are being crucified unjustly. Following a horrific incident where over 40 children sadly perished in a fire in Hermosillo, Sonora, the entire country has risen up in arms against day care owners.

Eli Grey, whose family owns multiple centers and runs Interchildren, believes there is great injustice taking place. "Many of these day care owners have been operating safe, happy and healthful centers for over 20 years. All of the centers must be built to specific safety regulations or they will not be licensed. These centers operate under monthly and sometimes weekly revisions, with stricter regulations than even the U.S." Grey would know, he is the owner of centers on both sides of the border. "In Mexico we are told where to put the doors, where to put the fire escapes, what types of exits are acceptable, and we follow their orders," says Grey, whose family was targeted directly by the media. "The governmental agencies are supposed to be the experts in safety, but now they have stepped in and forced centers to make drastic changes, with major investment and no notice."

"The greatest injustice is the nationwide publishing of childcare owners' earnings. While some of this is public information, newspapers, such as Zeta Tijuana, [in articles published July 10th and again on July 17th] have put childcare owners in the gun-sights of possible kidnappers. In publishing gross income totals and adding up earnings per owner, it is as if they have placed a death warrant on the heads of these women, children and their entire families," Grey explains.

"It's like a witch-hunt. They have come to our schools, called and threatened us and terrorized our directors and teachers. The Social Security Administration and other civil administration offices throughout Baja California have been calling and threatening to shut down centers if immediate changes aren't made," said Grey. "It's unfair, after 20 safe years, to crucify innocent childcare owners. These centers take care of your children every day, spending more waking time with them than you, feeding them, changing them, teaching them to read, potty training them, reading to them and caring for them. It is the job of a center to guard and protect children from danger while parents have to work."