To Mexico he feels good in his new suit as the gendarme of the south. The president of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, made a positive review and called it “successful” and “well-implemented” plan launched in the past six months to curb the central american migrants who try to reach the united States.
The data disseminated by the Foreign Secretary, Marcelo Ebrard, confirm the brutal increase in detentions and deportations of central americans from the southern states of the country. According to Ebrard, from January until the day of Christmas had been “rescued” 280.000 migrants, mostly from Honduras (44%), Guatemala (27%) and El Salvador (around 11%). According to the foreign ministry, Mexico deported 84,000 people to these countries in the last 12 months. The portal of the Institute of Migration (INM), sets out, however, that the deportees were 118.000.
Similarly, by 2019, is presented almost 67.000 requests of refuge before the Comar (the Committee of Assistance to refugees), arguing that the life of the applicants was in danger in their countries of origin. The figure has increased at a rate greater than 300% compared to 2018. Ebrard said that they were arrested 12.000 unaccompanied minors and 1.188 boys and girls are in the hands of the DIF, the agency that is in charge of the children. The portal of the INM includes figures that were not broadcast this Wednesday, but that reflect the strength of the migration policy of López Obrador: this year were arrested with 50,000 minors of whom were deported to 37,000.
the united States welcomes the data that confirm the effectiveness of mexico in the control of the migratory flow. The 144.116 arrests made in may by the Border patrol, the border patrol between Mexico and the united States, he spent 52,000 in November. From López Obrador deployed the National Guard in Chiapas, the number of central american migrants arriving in Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, or California has dropped at a rate close to 25% monthly.
The joint conference of the president and chancellor during the conference “morning” of Wednesday, was, in reality, a message for Donald Trump. The u.s. president threatened in may to its neighbors to the south with monitoring the immigration control and demand results on a monthly basis, under penalty of imposing a rate of 5% per month to mexican imports. The measures taken in the southern border was the results of that “threat,” “unilateral,” admitted López Obrador.
The Executive mexican tried to put your best face forward with the strategy of the trágala tax by Donald Trump and was not in their plans. In fact, the arrival of Lopez Obrador to power was accompanied by an open-door policy. A caravan of migrants in December of 2018 was welcomed by hundreds of volunteers who offered to immediately health, employment, education and humanitarian assistance to the thousands who came embraced the country. In parallel, we designed a plan for employment and development in countries of origin and in the south area of Mexico.
Twelve months later, there are only rods. The entrance doors are more armored than ever with the deployment of 6,000 National Guard troops and the way humanitarian contemplated the application of asylum and refuge is stuck between the repression and bureaucracy. The Comar has only solved 3% of the 66.000 applications, and this 2020 will operate with half the budget of this year.
Ebrard and López Obrador on Wednesday. Marco Gonzalez/NOTIMEX/dpa
From the hostels criticize the “militarization” of the border and the implementation of a policy of “servile” with the united States. “In the last year has killed people in hostels and at migration stations. They have attacked african migrants and have killed children of pregnant mothers. There has been wrecks in the coast of Chiapas,” notes from Tapachula, Salvador Lacruz, coordinator of the area of incidence of the Centre of Human Rights Fray Matias.
“The government acknowledges that they have increased the arrests and deportations, and many others waiting crammed in migratory seasons. Do all of this without violating Human Rights, it would be almost impossible. There is no criticism of the Human Rights Commission because it is extremely inefficient and has a clear ceiling political,” says Lacruz from the border with Guatemala.
The chancellor Ebrard defended in his appearance the morning that the Government “complies with the mexican law”, as any person in mexican territory “must be registered”. “The offer has Mexico done not done no country in the world, for the first thing that is offered to the migrant in Mexico is employment,” said the chancellor. However, there is something wrong with these plans. Only 3,500 people have registered in the employment exchange official, that is, 1.25% of the detainees.
From Tenosique, in the southern State of Tabasco, Ramón Márquez, director of the shelter for migrants, The 72 complaint that “the plan of migration has had a clear punitive approach”. “This translates into more operational, more people moving underground and more people that are exposed to longer and more dangerous routes, and the coyotes, who have doubled their rates”, he denounces.
For its part, Lacruz insists that it has put in place an immigration policy “containment” without having in mind “that Mexico is a destination country that requires infrastructure and means to respond to the humanitarian crisis” that lives in the south and in the northern Triangle of Central america, the fruit of violence and drought. “It is paradoxical that there is money to pay 6,000 soldiers deployed on the border, but not to extend ten or twelve people in the Comar, which works on a knife edge and you don’t even have money for translators now that there is also a significant number of africans caught in the borders”.
While López Obrador’s team tries to convince the international community to support his plan, Marshall regional, the countries involved, look the other way. In parallel, the international organizations face tired out the challenge and with the economic resources to the limit, consumed by the exodus of venezuela, from which have come more than four million people into the neighbouring countries. At least for now, the more satisfied with the data known yesterday is Donald Trump.
