Promote Justice for Mexico and the Borderlands

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 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 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.