Arizona's Immigration Stance in a Regional Perspective--Mexico Builds a Wall to Keep Central American "Ilegales" Out

The thrust of discussion of Arizona's efforts to participate in the control of its internal space, and in the process challenge the federal government's role in the policing of national borders and the management of immigration,  has tended to focus solely on Arizona, as if it existed in its own space-time unconnected with the rest of the world--and especially the world beyond American borders.   As ill advised and destructive as Arizona's efforts are, they are better understood in the context of regional efforts to control immigration.  

A principal actor in the region is not the United States, but Mexico.  It appears that Mexico is fierce in the defense of its own nationals as they cross the border northward into the United States.  However, Mexico is perhaps even more fierce than the United States right wing in the defense of its own national borders against immigration from its "south"--especially migrants from Central America, either seeking a better life in Mexico or passing through to the United States.  For these people, Mexico's elite sometimes tends to mimic the behaviors and politics of the more xenophobic of elements int he United States. Mexico thus occupies a middle place within hierarchies of power--the subaltern in its relations with the United States, and the dominant power with respect to its Central American neighbors.  And, like any dominant power, Mexico appears ready and willing to reproduce the markers of subordinating power relationships between itself and those states lower down on the hierarchies of power in the Hemisphere.  Whether it does this out of a need to serve the interests of the United States, to which it is dependent, or whether it represents the application of the ideals of power relations applied to inferior powers, is unclear. 

Now clearly, Mexico's policies are as much a reaction to that of the United States as it may be a reflection of Mexican xenophobia in the region.  Yet Mexico's enthusiasm for tactics that  would be scandalous in the United States and among Latino advocates, is disturbing.  Amnesty International has criticized Mexico for its treatment of its undocumented migrant populations.  Amnesty International, Report:  Invisible Victims: Migrants on the Move in Mexico, AMR 41/014/2010, published April 28, 2010. The Report is also available in Spanish as: VÍCTIMAS INVISIBLES MIGRANTES EN MOVIMIENTO EN MÉXICO  

And now it has been reported that the Mexican government is contemplating mimicking the United States in another way--by the building of a partition wall between Mexico and Guatemala.  This wall is meant ostensibly to control the flow of goods through Mexico, but also has an objective to  control the free passage of illegal immigrants, according to officials (who interestingly had no problem using the term in Spanish). This proposed effort has been denounced by Mexican human rights and civil society advocates.

MIGRACIONES-AMÉRICA LATINA: Otro muro en la ruta a EEUU
Por Danilo Valladares

GUATEMALA, sep (IPS) - Viajar sin documentos a Estados Unidos desde América Latina supone una verdadera odisea, eludiendo delincuentes comunes, leyes contra las migraciones y narcotraficantes. Pero ahora, además, parece que también habrá que sortear un nuevo muro: esta vez entre Guatemala y México.
El intendente de aduanas de la guatemalteca Superintendencia de Administración Tributaria, Raúl Díaz, afirmó que, para impedir el paso de balseros con contrabando, el sureño estado mexicano de Chiapas pretende construir un muro en la costa del fronterizo río Suchiate, similar al ya avanzado en la frontera sur de Estados Unidos.
"Podría también evitar el libre paso de inmigrantes ilegales", admitió el funcionario.
El río Suchiate es utilizado para ingresar productos mexicanos al mercado guatemalteco sin pagar impuestos, pero, a su vez, es atravesado por miles de centroamericanos y sudamericanos con destino a Estados Unidos en busca de oportunidades y sin la documentación requerida.
Unas 500.000 emigrantes cruzan cada año el territorio mexicano sin permiso, según la Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos de México (CNDH).
La intención de construir el muro fronterizo ha provocado una ola de rechazo en sectores sociales y gubernamentales por considerarlo una medida "sin sentido", la cual "no evitará" que las personas crucen la frontera "sin papeles" para llegar al Norte.
"Vemos con mucha preocupación la iniciativa del gobierno mexicano, porque los emigrantes están en una situación de altísima vulnerabilidad, como lo demostró la matanza de Tamaulipas, donde murieron cinco guatemaltecos", dijo a IPS Erick Maldonado, secretario ejecutivo de la Consejo Nacional de Atención al Migrante de Guatemala.
La crueldad a la que usualmente son sometidos miles de indocumentados quedó al desnudo el 23 de agosto, cuando 72 emigrantes procedentes, además de Guatemala, de El Salvador, Honduras, Ecuador y Brasil fueron brutalmente asesinados en la localidad de San Fernando, en el oriental estado de Tamaulipas, supuestamente a manos de la mafia criminal Los Zetas.
Además, un total de 9.758 secuestros de inmigrantes fueron denunciados en México entre septiembre de 2008 y febrero de 2009, según la CNDH.
La idea de amurallar la frontera guatemalteca con México "va a empeorar la situación de la población emigrante, porque nuestros connacionales tienen necesidades y siempre logran pasar en nuevos puntos ciegos que carecen de controles migratorios y de seguridad, lo cual implica mayores riesgos", señaló Maldonado.
La vulnerabilidad de la población latinoamericana, principalmente de América Central, que emigra "sin papeles" a Estados Unidos ha permanecido a flote en los últimos meses no sólo por el recrudecimiento de la violencia plasmada en la matanza de Tamaulipas, sino también por las medidas legales en su contra.
Tal es el caso de la ley SB1070, promulgada el 23 de abril por el sudoccidental estado estadounidense de Arizona, la cual autoriza a la policía a capturar a cualquier persona de la que tengan una "sospecha razonable" sobre su estatus migratorio.
A esta serie de barreras a la inmigración se ha sumado la construcción del muro en la frontera de México y Guatemala.
Sin embargo, las autoridades de Guatemala no han recibido hasta ahora ninguna comunicación del gobierno mexicano al respecto.
No obstante, Maldonado expresó el lunes su preocupación por esta medida al delegado mexicano de migración en el país, Alejandro Martínez.
El rechazo al proyecto llegó incluso a Casa Presidencial. "Los muros nos los saltamos y no son la solución a los problemas", dijo escuetamente sobre el asunto el vicepresidente de Guatemala, Rafael Espada.
La intención del estado de Chiapas trajo a colación la polémica construcción del muro perimetral de 1.126 kilómetros que bordea el río Bravo que realiza Estados Unidos en su frontera con México para contener la llegada de indocumentados.
"El aumento terrible del costo de polleros (traficantes de personas) y la corrupción de las autoridades es el fruto de los muros que Estados Unidos pretende construir y ha construido en la frontera. Este caso lo podemos trasladar en esta situación y los resultados serán los mismos", dijo a IPS el sacerdote Francisco Pellizari, de la Casa del Migrante.
Según el religioso, los muros son un "error histórico" de varios países en el mundo que no han ayudado a resolver las migraciones.
"Se supone que es para detener la migración pero eso no ha dado resultado y sí ha provocado un derrame económico y el desvío del flujo migratorio por caminos más inhóspitos que provocan miles de muertes", señaló.
Erick Zúñiga, alcalde del occidental municipio de Ayutla, más conocido como Tecún Umán, fronterizo con México, dijo a IPS que el estado de Chiapas ya comenzó con la construcción de la barrera, la cual "parece un muro para evitar que el río Suchiate se desborde".
En todo caso, "ningún muro impedirá las migraciones. Eso no impedirá que las personas pasen al otro lado porque la gente va en busca de oportunidades de empleo y un futuro para su familia", explicó.(FIN/2010).  Danilo Valladores, Migraciones-América Latina: Otro Muro en la ruta a EEUU, Visiones de IPS (Inter Press Service) (Sept. 15, 2010).

English Version:

GUATEMALA CITY, Sep 15 , 2010 (IPS) - Travelling without documents to the United States from Latin America can turn into an odyssey, in which migrants have to elude common criminals and drug traffickers along the way, not to mention the laws on migration. But now another obstacle is emerging: a wall between Guatemala and Mexico.

According to the head of customs for Mexico's tax administration, Raúl Díaz, in order to stop boats carrying contraband, the southern Mexican state of Chiapas is building a wall along the border river Suchiate, similar to the one the United States is building along its southern border with Mexico.

"It could also prevent the free passage of illegal immigrants," admitted the Mexican official.

Smugglers use the Suchiate River to move products across an international border without paying duty taxes, but at the same time, thousands of Central and South Americans cross the river in their attempts to reach the United States in search of opportunity -- and without the required documents.

Some 500,000 migrants cross Mexican territory without permission each year, according to Mexico's National Commission on Human Rights (CNDH).

The intention to build a border wall has triggered a wave of opposition from civil society and government organisations, with charges that it is a "senseless" measure that will not succeed in preventing undocumented migrants from crossing the border on their way north.

"We are watching the Mexican government's initiative with concern because the migrants are in a situation of highest vulnerability, as demonstrated by the massacre in Tamaulipas, where five Guatemalans died," Erick Maldonado, executive secretary of Guatemala's National Council on Migrants, told IPS.

The cruelty to which undocumented migrants are often subjected was laid bare Aug. 23, when 72 people coming from Guatemala, as well as El Salvador, Honduras, Ecuador and Brazil, were brutally murdered in San Fernando, a town in the eastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas. They were presumably killed by the Los Zetas drug cartel, which is also involved in kidnapping and exploiting migrants.

In addition, a total of 9,758 kidnappings of migrants were reported in Mexico from September 2008 to February 2009, according to the CNDH.

Putting up a wall on the Guatemala-Mexico border "is going to make the migrants' situation worse, because to meet their needs they are always going to find blind points where there are no migration or security controls, which implies greater risks," said Maldonado.

The vulnerability of the Latin Americans, and especially Central Americans, who emigrate "without papers" to the United States has remained at the forefront in recent months, not only because of intense violence like the Tamaulipas massacre, but also because of government measures taken to fight illegal migration.

Law SB1070, enacted Apr. 23 by the southwestern U.S. state of Arizona, authorises police to inquire into the immigration status of any person based on "reasonable suspicion." Critics say the legislation leads to racial profiling and violations of civil liberties.

The long line of obstacles that migrants face on their way to the United States gets longer with the construction of the wall on the Mexico-Guatemala border.

However, the authorities in Guatemala have yet to receive any information from the Mexican government about the wall.

Nevertheless, Maldonado expressed his concern this week to Mexico's migration representative in Guatemala, Alejandro Martínez.

Opposition to the project has even reached the highest circles: "Walls we can jump over; they are not a solution to the problem," was the terse comment from the vice-president of Guatemala, Rafael Espada.

The Chiapas state's intention to build a wall in some ways echoes the United States' controversial construction of the 1,126-kilometre wall along its southern border river -- known as Río Grande in the U.S.; Río Bravo in Mexico -- to prevent entry of undocumented immigrants.

"The dramatic increase in the cost of 'polleros' (human traffickers) and the corruption of the authorities is the result of the walls the United States plans to build and has built along the border. We can transpose the Guatemala case to this situation and the results will be the same," Catholic priest Francisco Pellizari, of the Casa del Migrante (Migrant House), told IPS.

According to the priest, walls are a "historic error" in many countries around the world, and have failed to resolve the problems associated with migration.

"They are supposedly intended to halt migration, but that hasn't happened. Instead they have triggered an economic haemorrhage and a shift in the migratory flow to inhospitable routes that lead to thousands of deaths," he said.

Erick Zúñiga, mayor of the western Guatemalan municipality of Ayutla, better known as Tecún Umán, bordering Mexico, said the state of Chiapas has already begun construction of the barrier, which he said "looks like a wall to prevent the Suchiate River from flooding."

In any case, said the mayor, "no wall will prevent migration. It won't stop people from crossing because they are going in search of job opportunities and a future for their families." (END)   Danilo Valladores, Another Wall Blocks Route to US, Visiones de IPS (Inter Press Service) (Sept. 15, 2010).

The report suggests the contours of the problem and even its relation ship to Hemispheric issues of drug interdiction and trade flow management.  All of these lead inevitably to the United States and through Mexico.  It is possible that Mexico must adopt the approach to these policy issues that reproduce precisely those activities which, when undertaken by the United States, produces the greatest outrage within the Mexican elite.  Apparently that elite is doping more than seeking to  dismantle those barriers to migration and trade that separate Mexico from the United States--for while that project of deconstruction is being undertaken, a project of barriers is being constructed on Mexico's southern border every bit as restrictive and aggressive as the one with respect to which Mexico complains in its own and in the American press. Understood in this more regional context, the difficulties of campaigns against Arizona's efforts to impede migration in and through its own borders become clearer.  Those who join with Mexico and other elements in the dismantling of barriers to movement between states ought to be aware that selective spot lighting, while producing some measurable benefits may not ultimately produce substantive results and might, to some extent, produce perverse results. 

Benito Juárez, Benemérito de las Américas

5 de mayo is celebrated in a variety of ways in Mexico and across the Americas.  The commemoration of the victory of indigenous Mexican forces, led by Benito Pablo Juárez García,  against a French supported monarchical government at the Battle of Puebla has strong resonance throughout Latin America.  

 Benito Pablo Juárez García

This effort, among others, earned Mr. Juárez the honorific--benemérito de las Américas.  Within Cuba, Mr. Juarez is remembered as a supporter of revolutionary efforts to expel another European power, the forces of the Spanish Empire, from the island.

 Se preciarían los cubanos iniciadores de las guerras de liberación por contar con el concurso de sus apreciaciones. Durante varios años el presidente Juárez mantuvo correspondencia con el Padre de la Patria cubana, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes.

El 13 de diciembre de 1870, Céspedes se dirigiría al estadista mexicano manifestándole su agradecimiento por "... el interés con que usted ha seguido nuestra guerra de independencia y vuestra recomendación de que debemos confiar en nuestro valor, tener fe y perseverancia".

Su preocupación por el bienestar americano, aún en momentos de peligro para su patria, le granjearía el sobrenombre de Benemérito de las Américas. Quizás por ello no hay mejor homenaje a su figura que la creación del Premio Internacional Benito Juárez. Inspirado en el lema juarista: "entre los individuos como entre las naciones, el respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz", el reconocimiento es otorgado por diferentes grupos sociales a líderes y personalidades que en cualquier parte del mundo se hayan destacado en la lucha por la defensa de la soberanía y autodeterminación de sus pueblos.

Benito Juárez: el benemérito de las Américas, Somos Jovenes Cuba (A state supported website)

But generally, Mr. Juárez and the Battle of Puebla is a reminder of the power of indigenous people to expel a foreign force from its territory and the legitimacy of swift punishment for those who trespass--in the case of the Emperor of Mexico by execution before a firing squad.  In a blog post well worth reading the essence of this understanding is well described:

Durante cinco años, los mexicanos se batieron contra los franceses (los españoles se retiraron muy pronto de esta descabellada empresa), recibiendo ayuda del gobierno del presidente norteamericano Abraham Lincoln, gran estadista, quien terminó con la esclavitud en EEUU, reunifico su país, a punto de dividirse, y se cuido mucho de dejar que los europeos pusiesen un gobierno proclive del otro lado de su frontera.

Por fin, en las afueras de la ciudad de Querétaro, al norte de Ciudad de México, fueron decisivamente derrotadas las tropas invasoras. Y don Benito Juárez mando a fusilar a Maximiliano en el Cerro de las Campanas, mandando un claro mensaje al mundo de que aquél que quisiera apoderarse de México, pagaría con su pellejo.

La trascendencia de estos hechos resulta del periodo histórico en que ocurre. Durante la segunda mitad del siglo XIX, los europeos andaban adueñándose de toda el Asia, mediante la estrategia de “proteger” gobiernos débiles en esa región. Así, Siam (hoy Tailandia) paso a semi-colonia inglesa, y Viet-Nam, Camboya y Laos, a semi-colonias francesas. Y China, paso a ser un monigote de todas las naciones europeas juntas.

Si los mexicanos no paran la invasión de los franceses, y don Benito no fusila a Maximiliano en Querétaro, es muy probable que otras naciones europeas, animadas por el “éxito” francés en México, hubieran querido hacer con nuestra América lo que hicieron con Asia, y más tarde con el África: convertirlas en estados súbditos.

Jorge Luis Romeu, La Trascendencia Ibero-Americana del Cinco de Mayo, La Colmena, May 3, 2010. So on this great day commemorating Mexican liberation, and the spirit of all autonomous peoples, I will echo the sentiments of Mr. Romeu:

Para la figura histórica de don Benito Juárez, nuestro respeto. Y para nuestros hermanos mexicanos, una calida felicitación en su fecha patria. (id.) To the historical figure of don Benito Juárez our respects and to our Mexican brothers and sisters warm felicitations on your patriotic holiday that in its ideals and aspirations you share with the rest of the hemisphere.

Collateral Attacks: Amnesty International and Undocumented Immigration in and Through Mexico

Timing is everything in politics and policy.  That might be something to consider now in the midst of the organization of international efforts to force Arizona to reconsider its unfortunate migration enforcement legislation, SB 1070.  It is curious that just as the international furor increases over Arizona's recent legislation targeting undocumented migrants, Amnesty International issued a report that condemned Mexico for serious violations of the rights of undocumented migrants  in Mexico or passing through Mexico to reach the United States. Amnesty International, Report:  Invisible Victims: Migrants on the Move in Mexico, AMR 41/014/2010, published April 28, 2010. The Report is also available in Spanish as: VÍCTIMAS INVISIBLES MIGRANTES EN MOVIMIENTO EN MÉXICO

Migrants on the move in Mexico

© Amnesty International

In January, police stopped a freight train carrying over 100 migrants in Chiapas State

© Amnesty International (Photo: Ricardo Ramírez Arriola)

Most migrants traveling through Mexico are Central Americans headed for the US border for work

© Amnesty International (Photo: Ricardo Ramírez Arriola)

Main routes taken by Central American migrants travelling through Mexico 2001-2005

© Amnesty International

Amnesty International Widespread abuse of migrants in Mexico is 'human rights crisis', 28 April 2010.  This web site story urges that "The Mexican authorities must act to halt the continuing abuse of migrants who are preyed on by criminal gangs while public officials turn a blind eye or even play an active part in kidnappings, rapes and murders, Amnesty International said in a new report released on Tuesday."  Id.  The Report is notable for its documentation of violence perpetrated by both elements of the state and private individuals. 

Kidnappings of migrants, mainly for ransom, reached new heights in 2009, with the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) reporting that nearly 10,000 were abducted over six months and almost half of interviewed victims saying that public officials were involved in their kidnapping. An estimated six out of 10 migrant women and girls experience sexual violence, allegedly prompting some people smugglers to demand that women receive contraceptive injections ahead of the journey, to avoid them falling pregnant as a result of rape. 

Id.  The Report recommendation included a number of generally framed reforms to address the situation:

• Legislative reforms to ensure access to justice
• Establish a federal task force to coordinate and implement measures
• Compile and publish data on abuses against migrants and the steps taken to bring those responsible to account, including public officials.

Amnesty International Widespread abuse of migrants in Mexico is 'human rights crisis', 28 April 2010.   These recommendation would also serve as a useful  foundation for approaching reform efforts in Arizona within the U.S. federal system.

For good or ill, this report received wide coverage in the English language media, and was prominently featured by the BBC.  It is not clear whether this reporting diverts attention from Arizona's efforts.

Migrants in Mexico are facing a "major human rights crisis" as the authorities fail to tackle widespread abuses, Amnesty International has warned.  The human rights group said officials ignored or even played a part in the rape, kidnap, and murder of migrants, often carried out by criminal gangs. Tens of thousands of Central American migrants pass through Mexico every year to try to reach the US and find work. . . .   The majority of migrants are from the Central American countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Mexico migrants face human rights crisis, says Amnesty, BBC NewsOnline, April 28, 2010.

It would be lamentable if Amnesty's efforts draws attention away from the debate on Arizona's legislative approaches, approaches which are rightly subject to intense interrogation.  On the other hand, Amnesty reminds us all of the obligations of all states, and of the importance of human rights and human dignity concerns.  These do not end or change character beyond the territorial frontiers of the United States.    As Amnesty well put:

En virtud del derecho internacional, los gobiernos tienen la obligación de utilizar su poder para garantizar que los derechos humanos se respetan, se protegen y se hacen realidad.1Esto incluye no sólo garantizar que sus funcionarios cumplen las normas internacionales, sino también actuar con la “diligencia debida” para abordar los abusos cometidos por personas o grupos particulares (agentes no estatales). Los indicadores de falta de diligencia debida incluyen: falta de castigo o prevención de los abusos; falta de intervención por parte de las autoridades; ausencia de prohibición legal u otras medidas para erradicar los abusos; falta de reparación o indemnización a las víctimas.

under international law, governments have an obligation to use their power to ensure that human rights are respected, protected and fulfilled. this includes not only ensuring that their own officials comply with human rights standards, but also acting with “due diligence” to address abuses committed by private individuals or groups (non-state actors). Indicators of the lack of due diligence include: failure to punish or prevent the abuses; failure by officials to intervene; the absence of legal prohibition or other measures to eradicate the abuses; and the failure to provide reparation or compensation to victims. This applies in equal measure to all states.

Amnesty International, Report:  Invisible Victims: Migrants on the Move in Mexico, AMR 41/014/2010, published April 28, 2010, at page 10; VÍCTIMAS INVISIBLES MIGRANTES EN MOVIMIENTO EN MÉXICO, p. 10.  

Still, the timing of the report was curious.  And its power to distract the conversation in the United States ought not to be underestimated.  Still, while efforts to induce Arizona to reconsider its legislative approaches ought not to be sidetracked by these attacks on collateral actors adversely affecting the human rights of migrants, it is worth remembering that Arizona is one small part of a global system of migration in which it will be difficult for any state, or for the political cultures of any reason, to claim the high moral ground.  

Success and Possibility Knows No Gender, Race, Class or Language

First Lady Michelle Obama landed in Mexico City last week and received a welcome that is analogous to rockstar status. Thousands of people lined the streets in Mexico City wherever she traveled. Young women cried and waved the Mexican flag high above their heads as they jumped up and down to get a glimpse of the First Lady. Her message as she traveled from Ayiti, after the devastating earthquake that has resulted in approximately 250,000 deaths, and approximately 1 million homeless, to Mexico City is for young people in our society, especially the young women in developing countries that “success and possibility knows no gender, race, class or language.” First Lady Obama’s thoughts regarding her committment to assist the young people in our society, and the shared values with the people of Mexico are available here.


Jose Jaime Enriquez Reynoso, a law student from Universidad Iberoamericana, introduced First Lady Obama with an inspiring speech of his own. He stated in his solemn, yet commanding voice that, “to understand society you must look at the young people in that society... The young people are scarce natural resources whose potential has yet to be tapped... Education without knowledge is like hearing without listening... To be informed the young must be educated....” Reynoso’s full speech is available here.


The American media was quick to note that Mexico “embraced” First Lady Obama. As if there had been some doubt as to the type of welcome she would receive. First Lady Michelle Obama's first official stop when she arrived in Mexico was at the the residence of President Felipe Calderon, to meet privately with First Lady Margarita Zavala. A woman with whom First Lady Obama gladly admits that she shares many values. They are both smart, passionate, and committed women. They are also mothers, wives, and as First Ladies they believe that they bear a special responsibility to the young people in society.

First Lady Michelle Obama’s visit to Mexico has gone very well. The friendship and shared values between the two First Ladies as well as the mutual respect between President Calderon and President Obama has led the White House to announce that the second state dinner of President Barack Obama’s administration will be in honor of Mexico, on May 19th.