Mexico Doing 'Nothing' as Migration Issue Spirals (Excelsior, Mexico)
"What are the governments of Central American countries and Mexico doing to resolve the situation? The answer is a resounding nothing, or very little. ... The migration policies of our country over the past few
years have oscillated between inaction and the corruption of authorities responsible
for migration issues. ... The truth is that Mexico has no migration policy directed at tackling the problem. This is reflected by the almost complete lack of attention paid to migrants traversing our nation on their way to the United States. Moreover, migrant stations located in various parts of the country are in such deplorable condition that they cannot ensure even a modicum of attention to the core of the problem."
In
recent weeks there has been renewed attention paid to a phenomenon that for
years has been a scourge for Latin American peoples, and for decades the people
of the United States have felt its ramifications: the migration of thousands of
people toward North America.
The
issue began to be mentioned with greater frequency after the alarming rise in
the number of unaccompanied children venturing across the Mexico-U.S. border caught
the attention of U.S. President Barack Obama. They are detained, with some placed
in migration centers, and others deported to their countries of origin.
A
report from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees reveals that at least 58 percent
of minors trying to cross the Mexican border into the United States were "forcibly"
displaced by violence in their own countries. Twenty two percent of those children
report having experienced domestic violence exercised by the person responsible
for their care.
Another
terrifying detail: among Mexican children who have been deported, 38 percent
report having been victims of recruitment and exploitation by criminal gangs. In
the last eight months alone, 52,000 migrant children have been detained in the
United States - a real humanitarian tragedy.
Given
this reality, what are the governments of Central American countries and Mexico
doing to resolve the situation?
The
answer is a resounding nothing, or very little. Plainly and simply, the
migration policies of our country over the past few years have oscillated
between inaction and the corruption of authorities responsible for migration issues.
Just to give you an idea of the problem's magnitude, dear reader, the InstitutoNacional de Migración [National Institute of Migration] has an
annual budget of 2 billion pesos [$153,575,034] and employs about 5,800 people.
With this infrastructure it services only 5 percent of the total number of
Central American migrants who encounter a problem as they traverse our territory
with the intention of reaching the United States.
In
contrast, non-governmental organizations and civic associations, many of which
work hand in hand with the Catholic Church, attend to the needs of 25 percent
of those who suffer all kinds of harassment on Mexican territory, principally at
the hands of organized crime groups or the migration agents themselves who
collude with people-smuggling gangs.
It
is clear that the problem will not be solved by a visit of Mexican officials to
U.S. immigrant detention centers to ask the U.S. government not to "violate"
the human rights of hundreds of children now housed in such places awaiting a
resolution of their situation. Moreover, this year it will cost the Obama Administration
about $2.8 billion to care for these children, an amount nine times larger than
the $253 million aid Vice President Joe Biden pledged on June 20 for development
and crime fighting in Latin America. The situation has already put Congressional
Republicans in conflict with the Democratic president.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
The
truth is that Mexico has no migration policy directed at tackling the problem at its root. This is reflected by the almost complete lack of attention paid to
migrants traversing our nation on their way to the United States. Moreover, migrant
stations located in various parts of the country are in such deplorable
condition that they cannot ensure even a modicum of attention to the core of
the problem. In their latest report on the matter, the ComisiónNacional de DerechosHumanos (National Human Rights Commission) put it
this way: "The CNDH expresses great concern for
the high degree of marginalization and abuse suffered by migrants during their
stay in our country's migrant stations and other places turned to such use, as
well as the lack of interest or incapacity of responsible authorities to resolve
this neglected problem."
Today,
the problem is reaching dimensions of a genuine humanitarian tragedy.
