by Ruth Isabel Robles
on March 14, 2013
Read more »
by Ruth Isabel Robles
on March 13, 2013
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.
Read more »
by Ruth Isabel Robles
on March 13, 2013
  
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
Read more »
by Emma Buckhout, LAWG Intern, with contributions by Ruth Isabel Robles
on 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...”
Read more »
by Lisa, Omar, and Mavis
on February 15, 2013
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.
Here's what he said:
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...
Read more »
by Ruth Isabel Robles
on February 13, 2013
“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...
Read more »
by Ruth Isabel Robles
on February 07, 2013
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)
Read more »
by Emma Buckhout, LAWG Intern
on February 04, 2013
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.”...
Read more »
by Ruth Isabel Robles
on February 01, 2013
“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.
What can you do? Join us and call your members of Congress on Monday, February 4th!
Read more »
by Ruth Isabel Robles
on January 31, 2013
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!
Read more »
|
|
Our Campaigns 
