Let’s turn back the clock. The year is 2006. The month is May. Mexico State Security Forces evict a group of flower sellers from a local market in Texcoco, Mexico, whom authorities claim set up stalls without permission outside of the market. This eviction produced an outpouring of community support for the vendors in Texcoco and in San Salvador Atenco. The protest, which lasted two days, resulted in arrests of more than 200 people, 47 of which were women. These women were forced to endure unimaginable forms of violence at the hands of the police. Thus far, state authorities have pursued criminal action in only two of the 11 cases, citing “abuse of authority or “lewd acts” and not, torture.
The Latin America Working Group Education Fund, the Washington Office on Latin America and the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights invite you to a discussion on
Human Rights Challenges in Mexico
Featuring
Stephanie Brewer Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez Human Rights Center (Centro Prodh)
Cristina Hardaga Fernández Tlachinollan Human Rights Center, Guerrero
Daniel Joloy Mexican Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights (CMDPDH)
Ana Luna Serrano Citizens in Support of Human Rights, Nuevo León
Other speakers to be confirmed.
Friday, March 15, 2013 9:00 a.m.-10:30am Washington Office on Latin America 1666 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 400
by Emma Buckhout, LAWG Intern, with contributions by Ruth Isabel Robleson February 26, 2013
President Obama, Congress, and a growing majority of American voters agree that the U.S. immigration system is broken and must be fixed. However, more than a month into the president’s second term and an unending national debate, the question remains: will anything actually happen on immigration reform? Recent events, including a recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on “Comprehensive Immigration Reform” held February 13th provided us with an inkling of what we might have in store. Committee Chair Senator Leahy (D-Vt.) echoed President Obama saying “Now is the time” for immigration reform. Meanwhile, Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) saw “overconfidence on this (immigration reform) bill” and asserted that he and others will continue to fight it over issues of earned legalization, enforcement, and border security. While Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), one of the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” senators working on their own comprehensive immigration framework, indicated support for making reform happen, he also noted that any discussions thus far include “triggers that need to be tripped in terms of border security...”
President Obama's words as he discussed principles for immigration reform struck a deep chord. Some of us at the Latin America Working Group office decided to reflect on our families' paths to the United States.
When we talk about that in the abstract, it’s easy sometimes for the discussion to take on a feeling of “us” versus “them.” And when that happens, a lot of folks forget that most of “us” used to be “them.” We forget that.
It’s really important for us to remember our history. Unless you’re one of the first Americans, a Native American, you came from someplace else. Somebody brought you...
“Una tristeza infinita agobia mi corazón…tu ausencia. Triste realidad que el llanto nos arranca, mas tengo en mi tristeza una alegría ¡Que algún día te voy a encontrar!” “Hija, solo vivo para encontrarte.” “An infinite sadness overwhelms my heart..your absence. This sad reality moves us to weep, but within my sadness is a happiness that someday I will find you! Daughter, I only live to find you.”
This was one of many homemade signs hung by victims on the walls of the high school auditorium where victims of violence and human rights activists from Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. gathered in Mexico City last month to take stock and chart next steps for Mexico’s Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity (MPJD). Before discussions started, Father Solalinde, a Catholic priest well-known for his valiant efforts to protect migrants at a shelter in Oaxaca, reminded us all of the urgency of this effort, calling us to “ponernos las pilas,” to buckle down and focus on moving the effort for peace and justice forward...
To read the MPJD's next steps, outlined at the press conference on Monday, January 28, 2013, click here. Para leer la declaracion del MPJD, haga clic aqui.
To read The Pain Caused by Guns Has No Borders, click here. (In Spanish and English)
To read the salute to the Congreso Nacional Indigena, click here. (In Spanish only)
To read the Platform for Memory and Documentation, click here. (In Spanish only)
To read the Drug Regulation Platform, click here. (In Spanish only)
To read the Solidarity Statement by Asamblea Popular de Familias Migrantes, click here. (In Spanish only)
That was the title of the January 30th Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to consider how Congress should move forward to address gun violence. Emotions ran high as the hearing began with a statement from Gabrielle Giffords, the former congresswoman from Arizona who survived a gunshot wound to the head two years ago. She still struggles with speech, but as she faced the Senate members, she spoke with a determination and force belying the gravity and urgency of her message. “Too many children are dying. Too many children. We must do something. It will be hard, but the time is now. You must act. Be bold. Be courageous. Americans are counting on you.”...
“We embrace the pain of the mothers and fathers in the United States who have lost children to gun violence, because my own son was disappeared in Michoacán with a firearm,” said Araceli Rodríguez, mother of Luis Ángel León Rodríguez in a statement from Mexico’s Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity (MPJD). Just like parents who lost children in the horrific Newtown shooting, victims across Mexico who have lost their sons and daughters to gun violence are calling for action to prevent future tragedies.
On Monday, February 4th people of faith and people of conscience from all over the country are participating in an Interfaith Call-in to Prevent Gun Violence. Follow the easy steps below or go to www.faithscalling.org. Lend your voice to the many grieving in Mexico and the U.S. due to gun violence by calling your Senator and insist that they act to prevent gun violence on both sides of the border!
Today, President Obama unveiled an expansive plan to tackle gun violence. For so many of us focused on ending the bloodshed that has devastated communities on both sides of the border, this is encouraging news.
We wanted to THANK YOU for adding YOUR voice to the groundswell calling for an end to gun violence. Earlier this week, the petition that many of you signed urging President Obama to better enforce and tighten lax U.S. gun laws that traffickers exploit to get guns and smuggle them into Mexico was delivered to Vice President Biden’s task force on gun violence . As you may recall, this is the same petition initiated by groups from Mexico’s Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity in partnership with LAWG and dozens of faith-based, human rights and anti-gun violence groups from both sides of the border.
by Lisa Haugaard and Jennifer Johnsonon January 16, 2013
As we continue our national conversation about gun violence in the aftermath of the Newtown elementary school shootings, let's also consider a plea from our neighbors in Mexico. One hundred thousand people -- yes, 100,000 people -- have been killed in the violence that has devastated Mexico in the last six years. Twenty-five thousand people have disappeared. Seven thousand bodies lie unidentified in morgues.
No question, Mexico’s new President Enrique Peña Nieto was faced with many profound and pressing human rights issues when he assumed office on December 1st. With human rights defenders and journalists enduring alarming levels of threats and attacks in Mexico, including targeted killings and disappearances by both state and non-state actors that have gone largely uninvestigated and unpunished, many are calling on Peña Nieto to commit to provide the political will and resources needed to protect defenders and journalists and prevent future attacks.
Just days before his inauguration on December 1st, Mexico’s president-elect Enrique Peña Nieto will make a short visit to Washington, DC to meet with President Obama and leaders in Congress to discuss the U.S.-Mexico relationship in the next sexenio. In a recent guest op-ed in the Washington Post, Peña Nieto made clear his desire to shift the focus of the bilateral relationship away from security concerns and the fight against organize crime towards trade and economic interests.
Wow. What an incredible year of activism we’ve seen from you.
As we all prepare to give thanks with family and friends later this week we wanted to ensure you knew how thankful we are for the tremendous difference you’ve made this year as a committed LAWGista. No matter the type of activism; from sending scolding emails to the Cuba desk at the State Department and the Office of Foreign Assets Control and to your Representative demanding that the U.S. enforce human rights requirements in Mexico to taking over social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter so that GM would hear out the members of ASOTRECOL, or the overwhelming amount of financial support we received for our Cuba program last week. Simply put, thank you.
You’ve made a world of difference and we’ll continue to fight for justice in Latin America, together.
To show you just how much we mean thanks, our staff put together this short and sweet video to drive the message home.
Save the Date & Kick off your Holiday Season in a Spirited Fashion!
Join the Latin America Working Group Education Fund staff, friends, and fellow Latin Americanists for our holiday happy hour at The Passenger in Washington, D.C.
Why: To support the Latin America Working Group Education Fund, mix and mingle with LAWGEF staff and fellow Latin Americanists, and kick off your holiday season in a spirited fashion!
The Latin America Working Group Education Fund will receive 10 percent of the total sales from our group during this special time. We hope that you will join us and bring along a few friends!
For more information, please check out our Facebook invite or contact Ruth I. Robles at
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or 202-546-7010 ext. 103.
See you there!
P.S. In the spirit of the holidays and OUR way to show appreciation of you all, the first 10 people to purchase a drink will receive a LAWG tote bag!
We were proud to join with YOU and so many partners and allies in hosting Mexico’s Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity here in our nation’s capitol last month. Highlights of their 3-day stop in Washington, D.C. included a TV-camera crowded press conference on the steps of a Capitol Hill church and a ‘lobby day’ where teams of victims and advocates deployed all over Capitol Hill to tell their stories to individual members and congressional aides. The historic visit ended with a moving vigil and march through Columbia Heights to a final event in Malcolm X Park, a dramatic poetry reading by the Mexican poet Javier Sicilia, whose reaction to his son’s murder sparked the movement, and a stirring speech by the legendary farmworker union leader, Dolores Huerta.
In September, LAWG and other partners hosted Mexico's Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity for their 3-day stop in Washington, D.C. In D.C. the Caravan was a success thanks to your support and that of the greater D.C. community. Watch this slideshow to learn more about how they spent their time in D.C.
On Tuesday, August 21, 2012, Mexico’s Supreme Court handed down a historic ruling that declared unconstitutional a section of the military code that has been used to grant military courts jurisdiction over all crimes committed by the Mexican armed forces, thereby permitting the military to investigate their own soldiers accused of even torture, rape and extrajudicial execution of civilians and thwarting victims in their efforts to find justice.
Last month, the tragic shooting in Colorado horrified the nation. Did you know that the AR-15 type guns used in the Colorado shooting have been found at many violent crime scenes in Mexico – and that many of these weapons have been traced to the United States? Check out this short video to learn how these guns are trafficked to Mexico, who profits, and what President Obama can do to help STOP the violence in Mexico.
Over the past month, the Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity has traveled 6,000 miles across the United States calling for the U.S to do its part to stop violence in Mexico. From LA to Chicago, Houston to Cleveland, caravaneros have reached 25 cities calling for an end to the failed drug war that has left over 60,000 dead and 10,000 disappeared in Mexico over the last five years.
On Monday, September 10th, the Caravan will arrive to Washington, D.C., the final stop of the Caravan. Poet and movement leader Javier Sicilia and victims who have lost loved ones to violence in Mexico will be here to make their voices heard in our nation’s capital – and we ask you to JOIN US and add your voice in calling for an end to the failed policies, an end to bloodshed.
On Wednesday, September 12th, LAWG and partners are organizing a Vigil/Procession for Peace to commemorate the 60,000 people who have died in Mexico’s misguided “war on drugs.” We will gather at 5:30 p.m. at St. Stephen & the Incarnation Church—1525 Newton St. NW Washington, D.C. At 6:30pm, we’ll march down 16th Street to Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park for a candlelight vigil.
Since August 12, 2012, Mexico's Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity has traveled 6,000 miles across the United States calling for the U.S. to do its part to stop violence in Mexico. The caravaneros are calling for an end to the failed drug war that has left over 60,000 dead and 10,000 disappeared in Mexico over the last five years.
Join us on Wednesday, September 12th in the House of Representatives, Rayburn 2226 from 12-1:30 p.m. as U.S. Caravan Riders Tell their Stories. Join LAWG's Executive Director, Lisa Haugaard, and the caravaneros as they brief Congress demanding new policies that will Foster peace, justice and human dignity on both sides of the border.
For the past couple of months, LAWG and other organizations have been organizing a series of events for the Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity's final stop in Washington, D.C. from Monday, September 10th - Wednesday, September 12t. If you are in the D.C. area please join us for these unique series of events.
On Monday, September 10th, the Caravan will arrive to Washington, DC, the final stop of the Caravan. Poet and movement leader Javier Sicilia and victims who have lost loved ones to violence in Mexico will be here to make their voices heard in our nation’s capital – and we ask you to JOIN US and add your voice in calling for an end to the failed policies, an end to bloodshed.
If you live in or near D.C. we hope you can join us for this and other Caravan events. Don’t live in DC, but know someone who does? Do your part by spreading the word.
Here’s the full list of events. Please join us – and spread the word!
6:00-7:30pm U.S. Guns and Violence in Mexico: A Bi-national Call for Solutions Sponsored by LAWG, the Washington Office on Latin America, and the Elliot School of International Affairs at George Washington University 1957 E Street Northwest Lindner Family Commons To RSVP, please click here.
Wednesday, September 12th 5:30- 9pm Vigil and Procession for Peace 5:30- Welcome at St. Stephen & the Incarnation Episcopal Church (1525 Newton St. NW) 6:30-Procession begins from St. Stephen’s down 16th St. towards Meridian Hill Park/Malcolm X Park 7:30-9-Music & Caravan Closing (16th St. & Euclid St.)
We still need help setting and cleaning up for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, not to mention marshalls to help direct people for the rally on Monday and Vigil on Wednesday night. Email Ruth Robles at
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if you’d like to help!
Can’t make it to anything, but wish you could? We’ve got you covered. We understand life gets in the way sometimes so stay tuned for pictures from the Caravan’s stop in DC. Click here to check out the Caravan’s photo stream!
Sergio Aguayo Professor, Center for International Studies, El Colegio de Mexico (Mexico City)
Tom Diaz Senior Policy Analyst, Violence Policy Center
(Speaker from the Caravan for Peace, TBD)
Lindner Family Commons Elliott School of International Affairs George Washington University 1957 E Street Northwest Tuesday, September 11, 2012 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
For more information, please contact Clay Boggs at
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Countless families across Mexico have been devastated by drug-related violence, with an estimated 60,000 drug-related deaths since Mexican President Felipe Calderón took office in 2006. In 2011, the son of Mexican poet Javier Sicilia was found murdered, presumably by organized crime gunmen. Out of this grief, a peace movement in Mexico has emerged. This influential movement has mobilized and united thousands across Mexico to call for an end to the violence, joining in cross-country marches, holding vigils and processions, and engaging in dialogue with Mexico’s highest political leaders.
On August 12, 2012, over 100 members of the Peace Movement crossed the border from Tijuana to San Diego to start a month-long caravan across the United States to raise awareness about violence in Mexico and to engage in dialogue with victims of violence in the United States.
The Peace Movement has identified U.S. arms trafficking to Mexico as a critical bi-national issue. According to the ATF, 70 percent of guns recovered by Mexican authorities and submitted for tracing in the past three years are of U.S. origin. The United States must do its part to stop the massive flow of weapons across its borders. If powerful assault weapons are readily available close to the border, they will continue to make their way into the hands of criminal groups.
Please join us for this timely and important discussion about the violence in Mexico, arms trafficking from the United States, and the role of the Peace Movement in a bi-national campaign to stem the flow of arms across the border.
“… treat them (migrants) like human beings because they are not animals,” responded a nurse in Nogales, Arizona, when asked what she would say to the U.S. Border Patrol.
Did you catch it? Last week, PBS aired Part 2 of their investigation into allegations of abuse by the U.S. Border Patrol, including sexual assault, physical abuse, and even torture. In response, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) remarked, “The PBS report paints an appalling picture of cruelty and corruption.”
"The war on drugs in Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala has become a war on women," say Nobel Peace Laureates Jody Williams and Rigoberta Menchú. Women in these countries are at an increased risk of gender-based violence, including murder, rape, forced disappearances, and arbitrary detention. Violence is on the rise in all three countries, due to many factors, including the war on drugs. The vast majority of violent crimes are not investigated or prosecuted in these countries, which has created an atmosphere of impunity for the perpetrators. More than 95 percent of crimes against women in Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala go unpunished. This lack of justice discourages victims from reporting crimes when doing so is unlikely to result in convictions. In addition, victims may be targeted if they attempt to bring charges or to call attention to the problem. In particular, women human rights defenders, journalists, indigenous activists or women who are otherwise advocating for change in their communities are targeted.
Estamos hasta la madre -- it means, “we’ve had enough.”
Last year, Javier Sicilia experienced a parent’s worst nightmare: his 24-year-old son, Juan Francisco, was murdered in Mexico’s deadly “drug war,” one of 60,000 men, women and children to fall victim to brutal violence in the past six years.
Mexico’s Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity (MPJD), led by Mexican poet Javier Sicilia, will tour the United States this summer in a Caravan for Peace (#CaravanaUSA). The Caravan will travel more than 6,000 miles to more than 25 cities, starting on Sunday, August 12th in San Diego and ending in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, September 12th.
The MPJD was born out of a father’s grief over his son’s death and a country’s pain for the 50,000 to 71,000 dead, 10,000 disappeared, and the thousands more displaced by President Calderon’s “war on drugs” which began in December 2006. In Mexico, the MPJD serves as a platform for victims of violence to share their stories and demand an end to this failed offensive against organized crime that has left a "trail of death, pain, and corruption in its path." Last year, the MPJD launched two similar caravans to the North and South of Mexico, where victims we able to express the consequences of the "drug war" in their own voices.
Javier Sicilia and the MPJD hope the Caravan will spark a bi-national dialogue, in which victims on both sides of the border can share their collective pain and search for common solutions towards a much-needed peace. Through this dialogue, the Caravan hopes to “inspire U.S. civil society to stem the flow of illegal weapons into Mexico, to support humane and health-oriented alternatives to drug prohibition, and to demand more effective, non-violent security strategies.”
Want to get involved? Fill out this volunteer form or send an email to
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Earlier this week, thirty-three members of Congress sent a “dear colleague” letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressing concerns regarding human rights and the rule of law in Mexico. In the letter, members of Congress call on Secretary Clinton to make detailed inquiries into human rights abuses committed by security forces during the Calderon administration as the State Department prepares its next report for Congress on the human rights requirements included in the Merida Initiative.
Since President Felipe Calderón took office in December 2006, he has responded to organized crime related violence with the deployment of thousands of Mexican military and federal police throughout the country. During this same period, complaints of serious human rights violations by Mexican security forces have increased five-fold—including torture, rape, murder and forced disappearances. The letter reiterates Congress’ recognition of the need for abuses committed by soldiers against civilians to be investigated in civilian jurisdiction. However, impunity for such abuses remains the norm despite the Mexican Supreme Court’s July 2011 ruling that military jurisdiction should not be applied in cases of alleged human rights abuses against civilians.
Members of Congress also express concern regarding the use of torture, still a widespread practice despite reforms to the Mexican Constitution to prohibit the use of confessions obtained through torture and other forms of ill treatment, such as in the case of Israel Arzate Meléndez, a man who was beaten, given electric shocks, and suffocated into giving a false confession.
Members of Congress conclude by asking, “If, upon obtaining this information, the Department of State determines that the human rights requirements are not being met, we believe your report should reflect this conclusion and the 15 percent of select funds should be withheld.”
We applaud members of Congress who have taken a stand in support for human rights and the rule of law, and join them in urging Secretary Clinton to provide a full, accurate and thorough assessment of the Mexican government’s efforts to fulfill the human rights requirements in the Merida Initiative.
The letter was coordinated by Congressman James P. McGovern (MA), who was joined by Reps. Nita Lowey (NY), Jan Schakowsky (IL), John Lewis (GA), James Moran (VA), Raul Grijalva (AZ), Rosa DeLauro (CT), Sam Farr (CA) and John Conyers (MI), among others.
U.S. Peace Caravan Route-- San Diego to Washington, D.C.: August 12 - September 12
San Diego, CA – Sunday, Aug 12
Los Angeles, CA - Monday – Tuesday, Aug 13 - Aug 14
Phoenix, AZ – Wednesday, Aug 15
Tucson, AZ – Thursday, Aug 16
Las Cruces, NM – Friday, Aug 17
Albuquerque/Santa Fe, NM – Saturday, Aug 18
Santa Fe, NM – Sunday, Aug 19
Rest Day, Santa Fe, NM – Monday, Aug 20
El Paso, TX – Tuesday, Aug 21
Laredo, TX – Wednesday, Aug 22
Harlingen/Brownsville, TX – Thursday, Aug 23
McAllen/San Antonio, TX – Friday, Aug 24
Austin, TX – Saturday, Aug 25
Houston, TX – Sunday, Aug 26
New Orleans, LA – Monday, Aug 27
Jackson, MS Rest Day – Tuesday, Aug 28
Montgomery, AL – Wednesday,Aug 29
Atlanta/Ft Benning, GA – Thursday - Friday, Aug 30 - 31
Louisville, KY– Saturday, Sept 1
Travel Night to Chicago, IL & Rest Day – Sunday, Sept 2
Chicago, IL – Monday - Tuesday, Sep 3-4
Cleveland, OH – Wednesday, Sept 5
New York, NY – Thursday - Friday, Sept 6-7
Baltimore, MD – Saturday - Sunday, Sept 8-9
Washington, D.C. – Monday - Wednesday, Sept 10-12
Feel like getting involved?Fill out this volunteer form or send an email to
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On June 25, 2012, the Latin America Working Group and partner U.S. and Mexican organizations issued a memo to the State Department and congressional leaders stating that Mexico has failed to make meaningful progress in key human rights areas identified by the U.S. Congress, including an end to impunity for human rights abuses committed by soldiers and police and the prohibition of the use of testimony gained through torture.
You may not know who Israel Arzate Meléndez is, but we think you should hear his story.
In February 2010, Israel was picked up by Mexican soldiers in Ciudad Juarez. Sounds terrifying, right? Well, it gets worse. He was then taken to a military base where he was beaten, given electric shocks, and suffocated repeatedly until he finally gave in and confessed to a crime he didn’t commit. No one seemed to mind that it was a false confession, only offered to make the torture stop.
On Monday, May 4, 2012 Vidulfo Rosales Sierra, a human rights lawyer who has worked tirelessly with Tlachinollan, a human rights center in the mountains of Guerrero, received an anonymous death threat alluding to certain cases taken on by the organization. Understandably, Vidulfo has left Mexico for fear over his safety. The threat stated:
Anastasio Hernandez was a 42-year old construction worker, husband, father of five children, and a long-time resident of San Diego, CA. That’s before he was captured by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents and, instead of being deported, was brutally beaten and tased to death.
Anastasio Hernández Rojas lay face down on the ground, defenseless and screaming for help, on the evening of May 28, 2010 in San Diego, CA. His feet were bound and his hands were cuffed behind his back as Border Patrol agents beat him ruthlessly. Eye-witnesses pleaded for the agents to stop the beating, but they continued. After an agent shot Anastasio with a taser five times, he stopped breathing, and later died. Border Patrol agents have killed seven residents of border communities in the past two years, including a 15-year-old boy. Despite public outcry, protests, and countless meetings with agency leadership, the Border Patrol has taken no known action to ensure the agents involved are held accountable.
Unchecked abuse and brutality by the Border Patrol extends beyond the string of killings and serious injuries that have captured major media attention. Last year, the humanitarian aid organization No More Deaths released a report addressing the 30,000 abuse against migrants by the Border Patrol the group has documented during the past three years. Abuses range from denial of needed food, water and medical attention to physical and psychological mistreatment. Despite protests and the filing dozens of complaints, justice has yet to be achieved in any of these cases.
In March, LAWG worked with human rights partners to bring the widespread culture of impunity in the Border Patrol in which abusive behavior goes unpunished and uncorrected to the attention of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). In a hearing before the Commission, representatives from No More Deaths and other advocates testified about the dangerous and abusive U.S. Border Patrol practices, demanding accountability and transparency from the agency.
As John Carlos Frey, a migrant rights activist and actor, put it in a recently aired PBS documentary, “If we really do believe in law and order, let’s make our own officers accountable to that law and order. Let’s have a little transparency; people have died, people have been killed.” It’s time for the largest law enforcement agency in the United States, Customs and Border Protection, to be held accountable – and take concrete steps to prevent further abuse and brutality.
From death, comes life. With the death of a son, a father gives life to a movement.
In March 2011, 24-year-old Juan Francisco Sicilia was found brutally murdered outside of Cuernavaca, Mexico. Like the tens of thousands of families across Mexico who have lost their sons, daughters, fathers and mothers to violence, Juan’s father, Javier Sicilia, was devastated. With the loss of his son, this well-known poet lost his ability to write poetry as well. Yet, he did not lose his voice. Instead, this tragedy propelled Javier Sicilia to speak out in a new way -- against the violence and suffering that the drug war has delivered to countless families across Mexico. By sharing his painful, personal story, he has given voice to thousands, voices that came together to ignite the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity (MPJD).
Many who have lost loved ones to violence had to deal with not only a painful loss, but also the fear that neighbors, friends, relatives would interpret the murder as indisputable proof that their loved one was involved in organized crime. President Calderón perpetuated this assumption, stating that criminals accounted for 90 percent of all killed in drug related violence. To address this pervasive and painful stigma, the MPJD has organized caravans that have served as a mobile forum for victims’ families to share their stories – and call for justice. More than just interrupting the Mexican government’s interpretation of the rising death tally, the caravans and other MPJD events have provided a platform for civil society to push for a shift away from the current militarized approach to violence, and towards accountability and revitalizing the social fabric that has been worn so thin in recent years.
The groundswell of activity in Mexico to promote justice and peace is inspiring. However, the problems perpetuating this violence require actions from those of us north of the border as well. The United States is not only the primary consumer of drugs trafficked through Mexico, but a key source of firepower for organized crime as well. Yet, many Americans fail to recognize our role in this crisis. To build relations and promote understanding, the MPJD is embarking on a caravan this summer throughout the United States, starting in San Diego and ending in Washington, DC. This caravan hopes to raise awareness of how the United States contributes to these problems in Mexico and, more importantly, how we can become part of the solution.
To promote awareness about gun smuggling into Mexico and its destructive impact, a powerful photo exhibit called "A Farewell to Arms. Contraband on the Border," will travel with the caravan. An estimated 70% of firearms captured at crime scenes in Mexico during 2009 and 2010--and submitted for tracing--originated in the United States, according to a congressional report released last year. Lax gun policies have made the United States a source of cheap and easily attainable weapons for drug cartels. The powerful images in this exhibit provide a glimpse of the impact of arms trafficking on communities and families across Mexico. A realization of the heavy price paid by families who have lost loved ones to smuggled guns is unavoidable. A petition to President Obama to curb gun smuggling will accompany the exhibit to give viewers the opportunity to contribute to a solution. In late summer, petition signatures of thousands of people from Mexico, the United States and all over the world, will be delivered to Washington, DC and, hopefully, the White House. This is one crucial way, among many, that the United States can change from a passive facilitator of violence into an active defender of peace.
Monday, May 28 marked the two-year anniversary of the death of Anastasio Hernandez Rojas, a San Diego resident who was brutally beaten, tased, and ultimately killed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents in 2010. Unfortunately, those responsible have yet to be held accountable for his tragic death.
On May 28, 2010, Anastasio Hernández Rojas, a 42-year old construction worker, husband, father of five U.S.-citizen children, and long-time resident of San Diego, CA, was brutally beaten, repeatedly shot with a taser while handcuffed, and killed by U.S. Border Patrol agents in San Diego.
Witnesses, and Hernández himself, pleaded with the border agents to stop the beating, but they did not. Despite community outcry, protests, and countless meetings with agency leadership, Border Patrol has taken no known action against the agents involved.
Have you ever been inside a U.S. Border Patrol detention facility? I haven’t. But every year, thousands of migrants, many from Mexico and Central America, are held in these centers. Many have reported that their basic human rights were violated while in U.S. Border Patrol custody. Sadly, U.S. tax dollars are funding this humanitarian rights crisis at our Southwest border, and we need your help to stop it. First, let me tell you a few stories:
The National Immigration Law Center, the Latin America Working Group Education Fund, and the Women’s Refugee Commission cordially invite you to:
MIGRANTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS AT THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER: A NORTHERN MEXICO PERSPECTIVE
Thursday, March 29th, 2012 10:00am-12:00pm
AFL-CIO - President’s Room 815 16th Street Northwest Washington, District of Columbia 20005
Panelists representing migrant shelters and migrant rights organizations from cities along Mexico’s northern border will discuss their new report on human rights abuses in U.S. detention and deportation processes, as reported by recently deported Mexican migrants. The report is a result of a border-wide initiative to document such abuses and points to how U.S. immigration practices put migrants at greater risk of abuse and violence upon deportation.
PANELISTS:
• Gabriela Morales and Lizeth Martinez, Centro de Derechos Humanos del Migrante in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua • Esmeralda Flores, Coalición Pro Defensa del Migrante in Tijuana, Baja California • Pedro Uriel Gonzalez, Casa YMCA de Menores Migrantes in Tijuana, Baja California • Jose Luis Manzo, Casa del Migrante Nazareth in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas • Perla del Angel, Centro de Recursos de Migrantes in Agua Prieta, Sonora
Space is limited. Please RSVP to Ben Leiter at
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Event in Spanish and English – simultaneous interpretation provided
Migrant rights centers and shelters in cities along Mexico’s northern border serve thousands of migrants each year, many of whom have been deported from the United States just hours earlier. These centers provide a refuge for migrants who too often fall victim to violence and exploitation upon repatriation to unfamiliar or unsafe Mexican border cities. They also have a unique vantage point to document abuses that migrants have experienced in the U.S. immigration system. At this event, panelists will discuss their new report that highlights documented patterns of human rights abuses against migrants in apprehension, detention and deportation by U.S. officials; present recommendations to inform the efforts of policymakers and advocates in Washington, DC; and share how growing threats against migrants and migrant rights defenders in Mexico affect their ability to defend and protect the rights of migrants.
If you have any questions regarding this event, please contact Ben Leiter at
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or 202.546.7010.
We’ve got just one simple, but critical action for you to take today:
Join our new Facebook campaign “STOP the Violence in Mexico” and help us grow the movement for justice and human rights in Mexico. In communities across the United States, there are concerned people like you who are passionate about human rights. But unlike you, a lot of them haven’t heard about what’s been going on in Mexico or don't know how to turn their passion into action; action that can make a huge difference in real people’s lives.
*Spoiler alert! Details of Demián Bichir’s Oscar-nominated performance in A Better Life exposed here!
Bummed all the hype surrounding the Oscars is over? Hopefully the annual awards show opened your eyes to some fantastic films. One that I would personally urge you to see is A Better Life.
Mexican actor Demián Bichir was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in this timely film about immigration. Bichir plays Carlos Galindo, an honest, hardworking gardener and undocumented Mexican immigrant living in East Los Angeles with his teenage son. The struggles Carlos faces as a single father are exacerbated by his undocumented status and the gangs that are constantly trying to recruit his son, Luis.
Just a a few steps south of the U.S.-Mexico border, President Calderón unveiled a towering billboard last week wielding a message written in plain English: “No More Weapons!” Weighing over 3 tons, the billboard itself is made of seized firearms that have been chopped, melted and welded together. Visible from the United States, the call is clear: halt the southbound flow of guns that fuel violence in Mexico.
I was not prepared when I opened Underground America: Narratives of Undocumented Lives. One moment I was sitting at my desk, and the next I was with Roberto, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. I followed him as he moved from one underpaying, exhausting job to the next; working even harder once he had his own family. I was by his side when he received amnesty, but his family didn’t. They voluntarily left the country while he stayed behind to continue working to support them. Here Roberto recounts his own experiences, providing me a glimpse into his struggles and feelings of profound loneliness and loss.
We’re moving full speed ahead with the “Stop Gun Smuggling to Mexico” campaign and want to make sure to keep you in the loop. We’ve seen some small but significant progress lately, and there are a number of exciting developments on the horizon that we want you to know about, so check out the updates below!
If you haven’t already, click here to tell President Obama to stop gun smuggling into Mexico.
By most accounts, Mexico has become an increasingly dangerous place to stand up for human rights over the past several years. According to the Mexican nongovernmental organization CENCOS, at least 24 human rights defenders and journalists were murdered in 2011 alone. The Mexican government has not adequately responded to threats and attacks against defenders, leaving 99% of all aggressions against them in impunity. Until Mexico’s judicial and law-enforcement institutions are fully able to uphold the rule of law, a special mechanism is needed to protect human rights defenders so they may continue their important work without fear. The Mexican government is in the process of developing such a protection mechanism, but has failed to fully include the participation of civil society--the very people these measures are being designed to protect.
Several members of the U.S. Congress concerned with the high levels of danger facing human rights defenders in Mexico have raised their voice. Together, they sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urging her make a priority in her dialogue with Mexico the importance of civil society participation in the development of a protection mechanism for human rights defenders.
Each year, tens of thousands of migrants transit through Mexico with the goal of reaching the United States. This journey is fraught with danger and many experience extreme violence along the way. According to Mexico’s Nation Human Rights Commission (CNDH), a staggering 11,333 migrants were victims of kidnapping from April 2010 to September 2010. However, the humanitarian crisis of migrants in Mexico extends beyond kidnapping. Too often, migrants become victims of extortion, robbery, torture, rape, and even murder, including the horrific mass murder of 72 migrants in Tamaulipas in 2010.
by Ben Leiter and Katrina Weekson November 21, 2011
After ten years of making a life for himself in the beach-front city of Santa Monica, California, Jorge Romero* was deported to Mexico, joining the ranks of nearly 400,000 other undocumented migrants removed from the United States this past fiscal year. Behind the record high number of deportations by the Obama Administration are stark, human stories of broken families and untold abuse suffered by those who attempt to return to their homes in the United States. Jorge, who left behind his cousin and father in Santa Monica, was one of those to brave the dangerous journey back. On the way, he was apprehended and grossly abused by the U.S. Border Patrol. This is his story, as recorded by humanitarian organization No More Deaths:
In too many communities across Mexico, violence has become a frightening reality of daily life, leading to the death of some 50,000 people in five years.
Recently, the Latin America Working Group teamed up with well-known Mexican actor Diego Luna to oppose one of the contributors to this violence: illegal gun smuggling across the U.S. border.
Click here to tell President Obama to Stop Gun Smuggling into Mexico.
On the heels of an especially violent summer south of the border, well-known Mexican movie star Diego Luna came to Washington, D.C. in September, not as an actor, but as an advocate for the growing international campaign Stop Gun Smuggling: 3 Things President Obama CAN Do. Luna met with policymakers to promote measures that could curb the flow of assault weapons from the United States into Mexico, saving thousands of Mexican lives, while making U.S. communities safer. Some estimates suggest that as many as 2,000 guns are smuggled across the U.S. border into Mexico every day, and in Diego’s own words:
Below is a very important report by No More Deaths describing serious problems concerning short-term custody practices by the U.S. Border Patrol. The findings of this report are twofold: First, human rights abuses of individuals in short-term U.S. Border Patrol custody are systematic and widespread. The abuses documented over the past two and a half years do not reflect anomalous incidents but rather an institutional culture of abuse within Border Patrol. Second, the custody standards that do exist are inadequate and are not subject to the oversight necessary to ensure their implementation. Without drastic changes to Border Patrol custody standards and independent accountability mechanisms, the senseless abuse of immigrants along the border and in Border Patrol custody is certain to continue. Please find a brief summary of the report’s methodology, findings, and recommendations below.
This is horrible and shameful news, so we’ll get straight to the point.
Over the last 5 years, migrants have suffered more than 30,000 incidents of abuse and mistreatment while in Border Patrol custody, according to a shocking new report by humanitarian organization No More Deaths. Many of the abuses plainly meet the definition of torture under international law.
Click here to sign the petition calling for an immediate end to the abuse, clear and enforceable standards for Border Patrol short-term custody, and independent community oversight of Border Patrol.
Inés and Valentina have waited long enough. It’s time for justice to be served.
Nine long years after being raped and tortured by soldiers in the Mexican military, Inés Fernández and Valentina Rosendo—two Me’phaa indigenous women from Guerrero, Mexico—have yet to see justice done. They’re tired of excuses and sick of delays, so they’re launching a campaign that calls on President Calderón to stand up against human rights abuses by the military and hold soldiers accountable for their crimes.
But Inés and Valentina can’t do this alone. They need your help.
When Ana Pineda* left her small village in Nacaome, Honduras in 2009, she was full of hope: “I had dreams of going to the United States to get a good job and to help support my mother and father.” But her hopes were soon crushed when she was kidnapped by criminal gangs in Coatzalcoalcos, a coastal city in Veracruz, Mexico that is a frequent transit point for Central American migrants. “They brought me to a house in Tamaulipas, Mexico and had me there for four months, imprisoned along with other Central Americans, South Americans, and Mexicans. I was abused, terribly abused. Many of the others were raped, even the men. Thank God I was able to escape.”
Ciudad Juárez police officer Jose Alarcon fled Mexico to the United States in 2008 after a series of horrific events – he himself was injured and his partner killed in a shootout with organized crime, and then he was threatened by criminal gangs when he refused to accept bribes to overlook their activities. Seeking refuge for his family, he sought asylum in the United States, but a Dallas immigration judge denied Alarcon’s request, ruling that this was a “risk that police officers are supposed to take.”
by Andrew Carpenter and Jennifer Johnsonon July 21, 2011
Last month, a congressional report noted that a staggering 70% of the weapons recovered in Mexico in 2009 and 2010— and submitted for tracing— originated in the United States, overwhelmingly from Southwest border states. The controversial and highly flawed ATF Operation Fast and Furious has drawn attention to not just the staggering number of firearms that flow over our southern border, but to loopholes and shortcomings in our policies surrounding firearms purchases that have enabled straw purchasers (people who claim to buy weapons for themselves, but then pass them on to criminal groups) and other gun traffickers in the U.S. to channel thousands of weapons to organized crime in Mexico.
Imagine waking up to the sound of AK-47s in the morning and going to bed to the cries of grieving families at night. Imagine a place where children cannot play outside for fear of being caught in the crossfire or gunned down at a birthday party.
In too many communities across Mexico, such violence has become a frightening reality of daily life. Over the past four years, roughly 40,000 people have been killed in Mexico’s “drug war.” And many of the guns that fuel this violence were smuggled over the border from the U.S. into Mexico.
Calling for justice for their murdered or disappeared loved ones and peace for the nation, family members representing just a fraction of the 40,000 individuals who have lost their lives since President Calderon initiated his militarized crackdown against organized crime, crisscrossed Mexico in a week-long, 1,550 mile Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity. The caravan arrived at its final destination on Friday, June 9th, in Ciudad Juarez–a city dubbed the epicentro del dolor (epicenter of pain) by caravan leader Javier Sicilia, a Mexican writer and poet whose own son 24-year old son was brutally murdered earlier this year.
“PLEASE SAVE US. We as in my fellow inmates find ourselves in the Torrance County Detention Facility and we are scared for our lives.”
Fearful of being kidnapped or murdered if they were deported to Mexican states that border Texas and New Mexico, individuals held on immigration charges in New Mexico sent this plea to No More Deaths, a humanitarian aid organization that works to protect migrants in the Arizona/Sonora border area.
Migrants’ rights defender Alberto Xicotencatl Carrasco painted this picture of Mexican society’s mixture of terror and denial in the face of grisly crimes and widespread human rights abuses committed against Central American migrants in transit through Mexico. In late March, the Latin America Working Group Education Fund hosted a delegation of five courageous Mexican migrant rights defenders here in Washington to shed light on how policies and conditions on both sides of the border have contributed to a surge in violence against migrants, as well as an uptick in targeted threats and violence against those who promote and protect the rights of migrants. The group’s busy week in D.C. included meetings with the State Department, Congress, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security. The delegates also spoke at public events held at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) to educate D.C. advocates about the human rights situation of these transiting migrants— and steps that we all must take to bring about an end to this pervasive violence.
We want to see just U.S. policy towards Mexico and the border region, and we know that you do too. Over the past year we have worked tirelessly for real policy change in Washington that prioritizes human rights, and we have made real progress. Collaborating with partners like you, we pushed the U.S. to stop sending helicopters and other aid to the Mexican military, drew attention to the ways the U.S. fuels drug violence in Mexico, and alerted the White House to the humanitarian crisis of violence against migrants on both sides of the border.
In 2008, as military operations in Ciudad Juárez surged, Josefina Reyes Salazar, an outspoken critic of pervasive violence against women, summoned her courage and determinedly denounced the militarization in her home state of Chihuahua. Not long after, her son Miguel Ángel was kidnapped by the military and her other son, Julio César, was brutally murdered. Josefina openly blamed the army for the slaying of her son and, despite persistent death threats, tirelessly voiced her demands for justice. In early 2010, Josefina herself was coldly executed by armed gunman on the outskirts of Ciudad Juárez.
Over the past few weeks, mass mobilizations and pointed criticism by groups and communities across Mexico have marked some of the most heated condemnation yet of the Mexican government’s increasingly unpopular military campaign to defeat organized crime. On Wednesday, April 6 thousands of people took to the streets in at least 20 Mexican cities to demand an end to the violence and impunity associated with President Calderón’s U.S.-supported “drug war” that has claimed over 35,000 lives. The day of protest has been described as a historic “sea change” in Mexican public opinion as well as an unprecedented rejection of the Mexican Army’s role in public security efforts.
Migrants in our region are experiencing a human rights crisis, particularly those who journey northward through Mexico en route to the United States. But, throughout Mexico, those who bravely stand up to promote and protect migrant rights are increasingly becoming victims of threats and attacks themselves.
Migrants in our region are experiencing a human rights crisis, particularly those who journey northward through Mexico en route to the United States. But, throughout Mexico, those who bravely stand up to promote and protect migrant rights are increasingly becoming victims of threats and attacks themselves.
For nine years Valentina Rosendo Cantú has been seeking justice for human rights violations committed against her by the Mexican military. In 2002, Valentina was raped by Mexican soldiers while washing clothes in a stream running through the indigenous community of Me’phaa in Guerrero state. In 2010, Valentina’s case reached the Inter-American court of Human Rights where the court issued a sentence mandating Mexico to make reparations for Valentina and re-open the criminal investigations in civilian courts. Mexico has yet to fulfill its obligation so Valentina continues to fight.
by Jenny Johnson and Ben Leiteron February 09, 2011
You’ve probably heard plenty about violence committed by warring drug cartels in Mexico over the past several years. But what about the unlawful violence committed by the Mexican military?
Human rights violations committed by soldiers against civilians have skyrocketed since President Calderon took office in 2006. And of the 4,000 complaints of human rights abuses reported so far during his administration, only a single soldier has been held accountable in military jurisdiction. Why this impunity? Because crimes committed by the military against civilians are investigated and tried in notoriously secretive military courts.
Violence has hit the residents of Ciudad Juárez hard. In the past year, the city has lost over 3000 to murder and violence, including many young people. One year after the brutal and shocking massacre of 18 youths–students, sons, daughters–at a party in the Villas de Salvarcar neighborhood in Ciudad Juárez, the city’s human rights organizations, students, faith groups and residents are joining together for a day of nonviolent action, including fasting and public reflection, to call for “Alto a la Guerra… No Más Sangre” (Stop the War… No More Bloodshed”). Juarenses will be joined in person and in spirit from those all over Mexico and around the world in this day of commemoration, fasting and reflection.
We are horrified and deeply saddened by the violent shooting attack on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, her staff, and community members this past weekend in Tucson, Arizona. The Latin America Working Group’s thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of those who were tragically killed and gravely injured.
The LAWGEF joins with groups across Mexico and around the world in expressing our deep sadness and denouncing the violence that led to the murder of Marisela Escobedo Ortiz, a woman who fought tirelessly to bring justice for the murder of her daughter, Rubi Frayre, as well as press authorities to end the impunity for the hundreds of feminicides that have occurred in the state of Chihuahua. On December 16th, Marisela Escobedo was gunned down at close-range in front of the governor’s palace in Chihuahua City while holding a peaceful vigil demanding justice in her daughter’s murder case.
by Jenny Johnson and Ben Leiteron December 17, 2010
Monday, December 20 – SPECIAL UPDATE: On Saturday morning, the Senate failed to gather the 60 votes needed to break a Republican-led filibuster and move the DREAM Act forward for a final vote. Despite this disappointing outcome, we are encouraged that a majority of Senators supported the DREAM Act on Saturday by a vote of 55-41, including several unexpected “yes” votes from Democrats who voted against the bill just two years ago. Even more inspiring was the dedication and courage of the DREAMers—mostly young undocumented students—who led a nonviolent moment across the country, and took great risks to support this legislation. The LAWG remains committed to standing alongside these young people in their struggle for sensible and humane immigration reform that will allow them to pursue their dreams. Thanks to everyone who joined us in our commitment and made a call, sent a fax, or wrote an e-mail in support of the DREAM Act this year.
This is it. Your Senators will be voting tomorrow morning on the DREAM Act. We need your help to make sure we get the 60 Senate votes to make the DREAM Act a reality.
Please call your Senators now and urge them to support the DREAM Act (S.3992)!
Find your Senator’s contact information here, or click here to be directly connected.
by Jennifer Johnson and Ben Leiteron November 23, 2010
This past August, the horrific massacre of 72 Central and South American migrants in northern Mexico brought to the world’s attention the daily violence and exploitation suffered by migrants on their way to the United States. There is no question: migrants in their journey to jobs and loved ones in el norte confront unimaginable dangers and abuses, as chronicled in the recently released documentary The Invisibles.
by Jenny Johnson and Ben Leiteron November 22, 2010
As we join with our families to celebrate Thanksgiving, we also remember the many thousands of immigrant families who continue to suffer and struggle in the absence of needed immigration reform. The passage of the DREAM Act can make a huge difference in the lives of undocumented youth who were brought to the U.S. by their parents and now, after working and studying hard to graduate from our neighborhoods’ high schools, confront obstacles to their future because of their legal status. By removing such barriers, the DREAM Act will allow immigrant students to pursue their dreams.
Migrants in our region are experiencing a human rights crisis, particularly those who journey northward through Mexico en route to the United States. Just this past August, 72 migrants from Central and South America were found massacred in northern Mexico. Far from an isolated occurrence, this incident is a terrifying example of the experiences that countless migrants suffer on a daily basis.
Click here to read the letter that LAWG and concerned faith, labor and human rights groups sent to President Obama urging him to demonstrate leadership at home to promote and protect the migrants’ human and civil rights, as well as work with counterparts in Mexico to ensure that migrants receive the basic rights inherently afforded to all humanity.
by Jenny Johnson, Vanessa Kritzer, and Ben Leiter on October 22, 2010
Mounting pressure from rights groups in Mexico and the Obama Administration, and a ticking clock on an order by the Inter-American Court, spurred President Calderón to unveil his long-anticipated proposal to reform Mexico’s military justice code. But while reform is desperately needed to end the historic impunity for members of the Mexican military that have committed human rights abuses, Mexican and international human rights groups agree that President Calderón’s proposal doesn’t do nearly enough.
by Ben Leiter and Jennifer Johnsonon October 14, 2010
You probably heard the news this past August: 72 Central and South American migrants were brutally massacred after resisting their kidnappers’ extortion attempts and demands to work for them as drug smugglers–teens and a pregnant woman among the dead. It was the worst mass-killing in Mexico since Calderón launched his “War on Drugs.”
by Jennifer Johnson and Ben Leiter on October 05, 2010
It isn’t news that journalists around the world risk their safety and security everyday to cover the stories that keep us informed and hold the powers that be accountable, but many people are surprised to learn that neighboring Mexico is an increasingly hostile environment for reporters. Press freedom watchdog International Press Institute (IPI) recently ranked Mexico as the most dangerous country for journalistsand media personnel in the world so far this year.
They did it again. Despite the fact that not a single soldier responsible for human rights violations has been held accountable by civilian authorities in the years since the onset of the Merida Initiative, the State Department released its second report on September 2nd affirming that the Mexican government has met the Merida Initiative’s human rights requirements. This report not only recommends the release of roughly $36 million in Merida funds that had been previously withheld from the 2009 and 2010 budgets, but also sends the wrong message to Mexico on human rights.
by Jennifer Johnson and Vanessa Kritzeron September 01, 2010
Persistence, local organizing, effective advocacy and international pressure have ultimately won out in bringing justice to Raúl Hernández Abundio, an indigenous rights defender from Guerrero, Mexico who was targeted by authorities and unjustly imprisoned. Since we wroteabout his case in July, international and local human rights groups have been working tirelessly to clear his name of the murder charges for his exposure of abuses committed by soldiers and local authorities.
Across the nation, SB 1070 has arguably become one of the most notorious bill numbers in recent history (certainly among state legislation). Mere mention of this bill number has become synonymous with threats of racial profiling, counterproductive “attrition through enforcement” approaches, and criminalization of “driving while Latino” – a sad political commentary for a SW border state with strong historic, cultural and economic ties to neighboring Mexico.
Run, don’t walk, to your computer to check out Presumed Guilty (Presunto Culpable
in Spanish), an incredibly powerful and insightful documentary on the
injustices in Mexico’s criminal justice system. You can see the film in
its entirety on the PBS/Point of View website through August 4th. To watch it online, click here.
by Jennifer Johnson and Vanessa Kritzeron July 19, 2010
In their work to promote and defend indigenous peoples’ rights in the Costa Chica region of Mexico, a highly militarized zone in the state of Guerrero, members of the Me’phaa Indigenous People’s Organization (OPIM) and their partner organizations have had to overcome repeated harassment, threats, and even murders of leading members. Now add imprisonments and baseless prosecutions by the government to that list.
In April 2008, Raúl Hernández and four fellow OPIM members were arbitrarily arrested and charged with the murder of a suspected army informant—a murder which Mr. Hernández did not commit. The other four human rights defenders were released due to lack of evidence. But even though the only witness that directly identified Mr. Hernández as having taken part in the murder was found to have lied, he has remained in prison for over two years.
by Brian Erickson & Jennifer Johnsonon June 10, 2010
Just days ago, Sergio Adrián Hernandez Güereca, a 15-year-old from Ciudad Juárez, was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent on the banks of the Rio Grande, not far from downtown El Paso. The fatal shooting of this teen came on the heels of the death of Anastasio Hernandez Rojas, a longtime San Diego area resident and father of five U.S.-born children, who died from injuries suffered when Border Patrol and other federal officers responded with a baton and taser gun when he resisted deportation. His death has been ruled a homicide by the San Diego coroner’s office. LAWG extends our condolences to both families.
by Brian Erickson & Jennifer Johnsonon May 26, 2010
May 27, 2010 – SPECIAL UPDATE: The Senate Rejected Border Amendments that Would Have Resulted In More of the Same. Today, all 3 “border security first” or “enforcement-only” amendments were defeated during debate on a supplemental appropriations package. Thanks to all who called and took a stand for sensible solutions for the SW border region!
Now we need to see the President and Congress get serious about comprehensive reform and long-term solutions – not quick fix ‘solutions’ like military hardware - to address organized crime related violence in Mexico – efforts that should include strengthening the judicial system, improved accountability for the police and robust protection of human rights. Rather than offering serious solutions, some policymakers have offered more of the same, band-aid, window dressing measures that score political points but don’t solve the problem. That includes President Obama’s decision, announced earlier this week, to send 1,200 National Guardsmen to the border. His decision directly contradicted the facts and what his own administration has been saying for months. Sending the National Guard to the border will not solve our immigration crisis.
Your senators need to hear from you NOW to halt efforts to further militarize the U.S.-Mexico border region. We understand that the Senate will be voting TODAY on a trio of harmful amendments seeking to expand misguided, enforcement-only approaches along our Southern border.
In response to President Calderón's meeting with President Obama and address to Congress, LAWG, WOLA, and our counterparts in Mexico issued a joint statement urging our respective elected officials to move beyond the empty platitudes that typically characterize such meetings and instead capitalize on this historic visit to make concrete and meaningful commitments to transform the rhetoric of shared responsibility into reality. Given the shared challenges posed by organized crime, arms trafficking and illicit drug use, it is critical that both countries move beyond ineffective and worn-out strategies and propose concrete, comprehensive solutions to address the root causes of these problems.
There are some memories you never forget, and some of those memories may even change the course of your life. I’ll never forget the excitement of seeing my first National Football League game. A twelve year old at the time, my father and I glimpsed perfection in the Metrodome of Minneapolis as the Minnesota Vikings embarrassed the Chicago Bears by a score of 48-22 – my fate was sealed as a life-long Vikings fan.
Then my family moved to Arizona – so I tried to acclimate as best I could by making the Phoenix Suns my basketball team. But with the proximity of the U.S.-Mexico border beckoning for my acknowledgment of reality, I suddenly found myself seated in a circle with the women and children of Lomas del Poleo, listening to their struggle with the injustices of minimalist wages and blatant civil and human rights violations committed against women both as they work in and travel to the maquiladoras that figure ever so prominently along the Mexican landscape that bumps up against the international line.
by Brian Erickson & Jennifer Johnsonon May 05, 2010
The early months of 2010 have been a roller-coaster of anticipation and
tension within the immigration debate. Expectations were running high in
March when a Senators Schumer and Graham released
a framework for reform days before crowds of over
200,000–unified in their chants of “immigration reform now” – gathered
blocks from the capitol.
Weeks later, a heat wave of anger erupted when Arizona Governor
Jan Brewer signed SB1070, a draconian and dangerous legislation
that has sparked both swift and widespread responses.
Human rights organizations are joining together to condemn
and call for urgent
action following the horrific attacks against an international
human rights caravan in Oaxaca earlier this week.
On Tuesday, April 27th a caravan of 25 human rights observers, reporters
and teachers was ambushed
by an armed group of paramilitaries in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico.
Two members of the delegation were killed in this attack, Betty Alberta
Cariño, the director of Center for Community Support Working Together
(CACTUS) along with Tyri Antero Jaakkola, a human rights observer from
Finland, with 15 more reported
injured.
“How many years has this been going on? Why didn't they change the
way they investigate everything?” These are the questions that
linger on the mind of Irma Monreal after nearly nine years of
struggling to find a semblance of justice after her daughter, Esmeralda,
was raped, tortured and murdered in Ciudad Juárez in 2001.
by Brian Erickson & Jennifer Johnsonon April 20, 2010
We don't typically take action on state-level legislation. However, we find a bill recently passed by Arizona's state legislature and currently on its way to Governor Jan Brewer's desk –- SB1070 –- so dangerously misguided that we feel we cannot sit back silently. And you shouldn't either!
If allowed to pass into law by Gov. Brewer, SB 1070 would effectively force police to engage in racial profiling, criminalize unauthorized migrants for 'trespassing' into Arizona, and permit anyone to sue local agencies if they believe that the law isn't being adequately enforced. Such policies are as sweeping as they are dangerous.
by Brian Erickson & Jennifer Johnsonon April 15, 2010
Earlier this week, Arizona state legislators voted in favor of legislation that – if signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer - would institutionalize discriminatory and dangerous policies by effectively pressuring police to engage in racial profiling, criminalize unauthorized migrants for 'trespassing' into Arizona, and permit anyone to sue local agencies if they believe that the law isn't being adequately enforced. Such policies are as sweeping as they are dangerous.
Charles Bowden’s Murder City: Ciudad Juárez and the Global
Economy’s New Killing Fields is an unflinching look at the
violence on the U.S.-Mexico border and the failing solutions by both
countries to address it. With an intense sympathy for the many victims
but also a degree of understanding even for a contract killer who finds
God, the author doesn’t let the reader find comfort in anything. The
book, just published by Nation Books (New York: 2010), can be found at
your local bookstore or online distributors. Here are a few selections
from this devastating catalog of violence.
by Brian Erickson & Jennifer Johnsonon April 05, 2010
If you ascribe to the old saying that "actions speak louder than
words," then March 21st, 2010 may become a historic moment. On that
day, an estimated 200,000 plus families, students and concerned
individuals from Delaware to Oregon participated in the "March
for America" in Washington D.C. to remind Congress and
President Obama that we're tired of empty promises and want to see
action towards immigration reform - and we want to see it now!
ovember 19, 5 – 8 p.m. 
