National/International: OSC Asks for Suspension of Agreement with US to Convert Mexico into “Migration Filter” in Return for Favors in Renegotiation of NAFTA

Migrants (@Redt)

In a joint statement issued on May 16th, various networks and organizations defending human rights of the migrant and refugee population expressed their “deep indignation, concern and estrangement in the face of information that has circulated in various media outlets, indicating an agreement in dialogue to turn Mexico into a filter for asylum seekers in the United States and as a center of immigration detention.”

They stated that it has been pointed out “that the governments of the United States and Mexico are in advanced negotiations to establish a mechanism in Mexican territory for the processing and selection of persons in need of international protection. In this context, Mexico would have the role of a “safe third country”, which implies that arrests will increase, not only of migrants, but above all, of asylum seekers fleeing the violence of their countries and who intend to request refuge in the USA. These measures would finally be an “exchange of favors”, and would be accepted by the Mexican government in exchange for economic benefits in the framework of the negotiation of NAFTA.”

They rejected this initiative and demanded that, “the dialogue with the United States be suspended until all the information is public, and until the new government that emerges from the ongoing Federal electoral process assumes its functions. Human rights cannot be negotiated as a bargaining chip in any commercial treaty.”

It is worth mentioning that just on May 16, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, reproached that, “Mexico does not do anything for us. It does not do anything for us. Mexico speaks, but it does not do anything for us. Especially on the border. They certainly do not help us much in trade, but especially on the border they do not do anything for us.” More controversy still was generated by the fact that Trump assures that criminals and gang members who enter his country “are not people, are animals”, and promised to do what is necessary to expel them quickly.

For more information in Spanish:

Organizaciones de DH exigen suspender negociaciones con EU para convertir a México en filtro migratorio (RedTdT, 18 de mayo de 2018)

Trump: Me refiero a los MS-13 como animales y siempre lo haré (CNN México, 18 de mayo de 2018)

EU pretende convertir a México en “filtro” para solicitantes de asilo y centro de detención migratorio (Proceso, 17 de mayo de 2018)

Quienes buscan entrar ilegalmente desde México “no son personas, son animales”: Trump (Proceso, 16 de mayo de 2018)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Nacional/Internacional: Caravana Viacrucis Migrante 2018 llega a EUA (10 de mayo de 2018)

Nacional : Rechazan 84 organizaciones y colectivos envío de agentes de la Gendarmería a la frontera sur (18 de abril de 2018)

Internacional/Nacional: Trump se opone a Viacrucis Migrante 2018 (4 de abril de 2018)

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National: 84 Organizations and Collectives Oppose Gendarmerie at Southern Border

Photo@ChiapasParalelo

On April 10th, the Mexican government announced that it will multiply the number of troops of the National Gendarmerie on the southern border to reinforce security but maintaining the commitment to protect the human rights of Central American migrants who cross the country to the United States. This announcement came amid strong tensions with the United States after the Tweets from President Donald Trump before the advance through Mexican territory of the “Viacrucis Migrante” in which more than a thousand Central American migrants participated.

In a joint statement, 84 organizations, collectives and networks of 23 states of Mexico demanded that the plan be canceled because, they believe, “the increase in the forces of the State does not guarantee security and also affects the rights of the migrant and the local population.”

They claimed that this proposal obeys “the demand of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, for the federal government to stop the flow of migrants in Mexico as a condition to promote a renegotiation agreement on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).”

They denounced that, “this decision of the Mexican government shows that there is no comprehensive, defined or clear approach to human mobility, persisting in a strategy that criminalizes Central American forced migration. Rather, it takes place exactly on the same days as the deployment of the United States National Guard on our northern border to replicate this border reinforcement between Mexico and Central America. This decision, taken last April 3rd, is opposed to the message issued by President Peña Nieto in response to Trump on April 5, in which he made an alleged call for national unity in defense of the dignity and sovereignty of Mexico, a speech that was applauded by wide social sectors of the country, without contemplating concrete actions to revert the decision of Trump.”

They warned that “the decision to reinforce the southern border of Mexico, by sending agents of the National Gendarmerie, puts at serious risk the integrity of people in a context of human mobility, which will undoubtedly result in a further increase in violence, xenophobia and criminalization of migrants, refugees and those who defend them, as well as the population in general.”

For more information in Spanish:

¿Al estilo Trump? México aumenta el despliegue de gendarmes en la frontera sur para frenar la migración (Animal Político, 10 de abril de 2018)

Navarrete Prida se reúne con gobernador de Chiapas; reforzarán frontera sur (La Jornada, 11 de abril de 2018)

Pronunciamiento completo « Rechazamos el aumento de la Gendarmería Nacional en la frontera sur » (OSC, 14 de abril de 2018)

Repudian 84 colectivos envío de agentes de la Gendarmería a la frontera sur (La Jornada, 15 de abril de 2018)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Chiapas : Encuentro « Desde la Selva Lacandona, comunidades indígenas, organizaciones civiles y sociales dicen no al despojo, no al desalojo y no a la militarización » (7 de marzo de 2018)

Chiapas : Indígenas tseltales de Amador Hernández expulsan a 17 soldados por incursionar en su comunidad sin permiso (11 de enero de 2018)

Nacional : grave crisis de personas refugiadas en la frontera sur de México (3 de marzo de 2017)

National/Guerrero: CNDH Report Causes PGR Criticisms

Photo @ Milenio

On March 28th, the president of the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH in its Spanish acronym) delivered his 2017 Activities Report where he took the opportunity to ask the Federal Government for the security that Mexico needs.

Regarding the government of the current president Enrique Peña Nieto, it noted “Mexico has not experienced a significant and objective change towards greater respect and validity of human rights; nor has our democratic state of law been substantially strengthened, nor has the environment been changed positively, when millions of Mexicans confronted each other on a daily basis, characterized by the binomials of insecurity and violence, impunity and corruption, inequality and poverty.”

He also regretted that there were major attacks against women, journalists and migrants.

The CNDH “asserted that the law enforcement system “is overwhelmed” and warned that in the current six-year term of office the human rights situation is unfavorable, including the Iguala case, where crimes against students of the normal school of Ayotzinapa were perpetrated.”

On these allegations in the case of Iguala, the Attorney General of the Republic (PGR) responded by means of a statement that “it does not correspond” to the CNDH to make inquiries into it and that this agency “cannot replace” the office of the Attorney General in its functions.

Given these criticisms of the PGR, the Office in Mexico of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) supported the CNDH’s actions and assured that “autonomous human rights organizations do not seek confrontation, but rather contribute to truth and justice.”

For more information in Spanish:

González Pérez demanda más seguridad a Peña Nieto (Sexenio, 10 de abril de 2018)

Desfavorable balance en derechos humanos: González Pérez  (La Jornada, 28 de marzo de 2018)

ONU respalda investigación de CNDH por caso Ayotzinapa (La Jornada, 4 de abril de 2018)

Molestia de la PGR, porque somos “incómodos”: CNDH (Vanguardia, 3 de abril de 2018)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Guerrero/Nacional/Internacional : Nuevos informes sobre caso Ayotzinapa (15 de marzo de 2018)

Guerrero: PGR buscará cerrar caso Ayotzinapa antes de diciembre (6 de marzo de 2018)

Guerrero / México – Nacional: Ayotzinapa: Caravana Rompiendo el Silencio y el Olvido (3 de marzo de 2018)

Guerrero / Nacional-México: Ayotzinapa a 40 meses de la desaparición de los 43 sigue la “indolencia” del gobierno (30 de enero de 2018)

Nacional : EPN promulga Ley de Seguridad Interior. CNDH promoverá acciones de inconstitucionalidad. (29 de diciembre de 2017)

Mexico – National/International: Latest Amnesty International Report on the Deadly Return of Central American Asylum Seekers from Mexico

Amnesty International (AI) denounced in its latest report “Ignored and Unprotected: The Deadly Return of Central American Asylum Seekers from Mexico” that the Mexican immigration authorities routinely force thousands of people from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala to return to their countries without taking into account the risks to their lives and safety when they return.

The report is based on a survey that reflects 500 experiences of Central American people traveling through Mexico. AI concluded that the National Institute of Migration (INM in its Spanish acronym) systematically violates the non-refoulement principle, a binding pillar of international and Mexican law that prohibits the return of people to situations where they are at real risk of persecution or other serious violations of human rights. “Instead of giving them the protection to which they are entitled, Mexico is illegally turning its back on these people in need”, said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s director for the Americas.

Amnesty International found that 75% of the people detained by the INM had not been informed of their right to seek asylum in Mexico, despite the fact that Mexican law expressly provides that it be done and that the public authorities assured Amnesty International that this provision was observed.

For more information in Spanish:

Informe: Ignoradas y sin protección (Amnistía Internacional)

Cortometraje: A través de los ojos de una persona refugiada (Amnistía Internacional)

México envía a centroamericanos a la muerte, denuncia Amnistía Internacional (Sididh, 24 de enero de 2018)

México incumple ante migrantes: Amnistía Internacional; “es un área de oportunidad”, responde el INM (Proceso, 23 de enero 2018)

National/International: “Caravan of Mothers of Missing Migrants” Arrives to Mexico

(@caravana.wordpress.com)

 From December 1st to 18th, the thirteenth “Caravan of Mothers of Missing Migrants” will be held, which will enter Mexico to “search for the disappeared, break the silence and demand justice,” as well as to “show the consequences of anti-migrant policies, make visible the mourning of mothers and create awareness that they are as important as any other person.” The Caravan entered the country through the border of Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas to begin a journey of 4,000 kilometers along the migratory route, crossing 12 states and 22 locations in Mexico.

In an initial communiqué, the Mesoamerican Migrant Movement (MMM) denounced that, “according to the United Nations, approximately 500,000 people cross the southern Mexican border each year. Most come from the Northern Triangle of Central America, a region hit by widespread violence and economic inequality. Economic insecurity combined with the impact of mega-projects for the extraction of minerals and other resources create a situation of structural violence and forced displacement. This economic precariousness occurs in a context of acute violence in these countries that have the highest levels of homicide and gender violence worldwide. When migrants flee from these conditions they encounter serious threats during their journey through Mexico where the violence of criminal groups and the corruption of state institutions results in migrants being kidnapped, extorted and trafficked by organized crime groups, among many other violations of their human rights.”

The MMM also expressed that “the risks of transit through Mexico have increased in recent years where the Mexican government, in cooperation with the government of the United States, has tried to prevent the migratory flow from reaching the northern border through the militarization of the territory. These tactics of persecution, detention and deportation combined with the threat of corrupt authorities colluded with criminal groups, have increased the vulnerability of migrants in transit. As in the case of disappeared Mexicans, there is a level of absolute impunity in cases of abuse and disappearance of migrants in Mexico. The absence of political will and the corruption of local authorities force the relatives of the disappeared migrants to carry out the difficult job of seeking and demanding justice. “

For more information in Spanish:

Caravana de madres de migrantes desaparecidos viaja a Veracruz (La Jornada, 6 de diciembre de 2017)

Madres de migrantes desaparecidos inician caravana en México (La Jornada, 2 de diciembre de 2017)

Llega a México la XIII Caravana de Madres Centroamericanas en busca de sus desaparecidos (Proceso, 1ero de diciembre de 2017)

Comunicado de prensa (Movimiento Migrante Mesoamericano, 27 de noviembre de 2017)

For more information from SIPAZ:

México : Caravana de Madres de Migrantes Desaparecidos “buscando vida en caminos de muerte” (25 de noviembre de 2016)

Guerrero: Third Visit of IACHR Follow-up Mechanism Three Years after Ayotzinapa Case

Photo @: Sipaz

From August 28th to 30th, the third visit of the Follow-up Mechanism of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) for the Ayotzinapa case was conducted to monitor compliance with the recommendations of the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (IGIE) investigation.

During his visit, the delegation of the IACHR visited the Rural School “Raúl Isidro Burgos”, where it heard the complaints of the parents, who according to Proceso magazine claim the lack of concrete progress in the case.

According to the Tlachinollan Mountain Human Rights Center of the, the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (PGR in its Spanish acronym) informed the delegation that a team of more than 90 people were exclusively assigned to this research, and hopes that this will translate into results that bring the truth about what happened on September 26th and 27th, 2014.

The fathers and mothers summoned the Attorney General of the Republic to detain the municipal police of Huitzuco and Cocula, who could be involved in the arrest of the student teachers, before October. Otherwise, they warned, they will not return to the negotiating table scheduled for October.

The 26th of September 2017 will mark three years since the night of Iguala during which the 43 student teachers were disappeared, six others murdered and about 25 injured. Among the wounded was Aldo Gutierrez Solano, who received a bullet that destroyed 65% of his brain and he remains in a “vegetative” state. For this occasion parents of the victims announced a national march that will take place in Mexico City.

For more information in Spanish:

Claman justicia por normalistas de Ayotzinapa desaparecidos hace 35 meses (Proceso, 26 de agosto de 2017)

La CIDH lamenta que, a casi tres años, paradero de los 43 “sigue desconocido” (Proceso, 30 de agosto de 2017)

Mecanismo de seguimiento del asunto Ayotzinapa realiza tercera visita oficial a México (Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña Tlachinollan, 30 de agosto de 2017)

A 3 años del caso Ayotzinapa, el gobierno sigue sin conocer el paradero de los normalistas: CIDH (Animal Político, 30 de agosto de 2017)

XXXVI ACCIÓN GLOBAL POR AYOTZINAPA Y MÉXICO (Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña Tlachinollan, 01 de septiembre de 2017)

En caso Ayotzinapa “hay avances”, pero falta tener pronto noticias del paradero de los 43: CIDH   (Proceso, 4 de septiembre de 2017)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Guerrero: a 34 meses de la tragedia de Ayotzinapa familiares convocan a unas jornadas de lucha (31 de julio de 2017)

Guerrero: Sesión de seguimiento de la CIDH del caso Ayotzinapa : avances nulos (10 de julio de 2017)

Oaxaca: Death of “Hermanos en el Camino” Activist ‘Beto’ Donis

Jose Alberto Donis Rodriguez (@SDP Noticias)

On June 29th, the Guatemalan activist Jose Alberto Donis Rodriguez, known as Beto, died in a car accident. He was a coordinator at the “Hermanos en el Camino” (Brothers on the Road) shelter in the city of Ixtepec, Oaxaca.

Beto arrived in Oaxaca in his attempt to reach the United States and ended up staying in Ixtepec, where he pledged to fight and defend the rights of migrants who transit through Mexico. Amnesty International recognized him as “defender of the year” in 2008 for his work on migrant rights.

“Beto is not dead, he is spiritually alive,” Father Alejandro Solalinde Guerra, who was his great friend, said during a farewell homage Mass.

 For more information in Spanish:

Migrantes y amigos rinden homenaje póstumo a Coordinador del Albergue Hermanos en el Camino (Itsmo Press, 1ero de julio de 2017)

El activista guatemalteco Alberto Donis falleció tras un accidente, confirma el padre Solalinde (Sin Embargo, a 30 de junio de 2017)

Despiden a guatemalteco que ayudó por 9 años a migrantes en Ixtepec, Oaxaca (NVI Noticias, 2 de julio de 2017)

Muere coordinador de albergue en Ixtepec tras accidente, confirma Solalinde (Proceso, 30 de junio de 2017)

Fallece el activista ‘Beto’ Donis, del albergue Hermanos en el Camino (SDP Noticas, 30 de junio de 2017

For more information from SIPAZ:

Nacional/internacional: La CIDH expresa su preocupación ante el endurecimiento de las autoridades mexicanas hacia los migrantes y sus defensores en la frontera Sur (17 de junio de 2016)

Oaxaca: Nueva agresión a integrantes del Albergue para migrantes Hermanos en el Camino de Ixtepec (23 de septiembre de 2014)

Oaxaca: nueva amenaza de muerte en contra del Padre Solalinde (11 de octubre de 2012)