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Bubba

Jan 27, 2007, 8:55 PM

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Illegal Immigration in Chiapas

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There is a chilling story in Mexico Connect´s news section excerpted from the International Herald Tribune for January 27th regarding the flow of illegal immigrants from Central America across the river at Tapachula who are attempting to get to the U.S. by walking to the Arriaga railhead in Chiapas and riding the rails on freight trains heading for the U.S. border. As members, you can read it for yourselves but the corruption, crime and hardship these people must endure is heartbreaking. Interestingly, according to the IHT article, most illegals caught by Federales and local authorities are not turned back but robbed of their money by the authorities who then send them on their way north. Those that are not robbed by the authorities are aften robbed by thugs along the way and many who make it to the trains suffer horrible injuries riding the rails. The corruption has gotten so bad that the areas along the trails have essentially become a no man´s land. Yet these poor people keep coming out of desperation.

I can tell you this, In Chiapas along the border and trails to the railhead, God help you if you are from Central America. On the other hand, I can tell you just from reading the local press in Chiapas, that all along the border with Guatemala, illegal immigrants fom Central America are also a major source of crime in the region. It´s a tough situation.

(This post was edited by Bubba on Jan 27, 2007, 8:57 PM)

wendy devlin

Jan 28, 2007, 8:35 AM

Post #2 of 9 (2422 views)

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Re: [Bubba] Illegal Immigration in Chiapas

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Bubba,

Sometime ago, you mentioned watching a documentary film about the illegal immigration situation along the border of Chiapas and Guatemala.

Last year, watched a documentary called “Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary” (2004). Might it have been this film?

Follows several migrants from Central America and Mexico on their journey to North America. The film begins in Nicaragua and takes the viewer through five borders. Border control tightens as the migrants move North.

Gangs operate along the border and prey upon upon the migrants riding the trains, going north, robbing them and other violent acts.

The film also showed the generosity of some Mexican people, themselves with very little, handing the migrants food and water as the trains slow down through their towns/cities. People familiar with what still lies ahead on the train north.

The film makes the statement that of the more than 3,000 Latin Americans who embark upon this journey every day, less than 300 make it to their American destination. Some stay in Mexico, some return and re-ride the gauntlet.

Bubba

Jan 28, 2007, 8:58 AM

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Re: [wendy devlin] Illegal Immigration in Chiapas

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Last year, watched a documentary called “Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary” (2004). Might it have been this film?

I´m not certain, Wendy, but the word Wetback was part of the title of the film and I saw it on the Documentary Channel on Starchoice. It is probably the same movie. You summarized it well. There are a lot of people who have taken compassion on these poor victims and help them out along the way thank God, because when the local Mexican authorities or highwaymen shake them down they take all of their money and possessions of any value. Imagine hiking several days to the Chiapas railhead from the Guatemalan border and then riding a freight all the way to the U.S. border stone broke and in constant danger. A humbling thought.

sfmacaws

Jan 28, 2007, 10:17 AM

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Re: [Bubba] Illegal Immigration in Chiapas

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I have a postcard I bought along the Chiapas border somewhere with a picture of several young Salvadorians on a flatbed, throwing gang signs and displaying their tattoos, marasalvatrucha. It's ugly both sides of the coin. Not all of the ones going north just want to work, it's also the gangland express. Not a popular opinion around here but all countries need borders and an orderly processing of immigrants across them. None of the countries in North America have that. Some of those trouts need to be thrown back where they came from and left to drown.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

Bubba

Jan 28, 2007, 11:26 AM

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Re: [sfmacaws] Illegal Immigration in Chiapas

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Actually, as you know, Jonna, this is not just a problem in the Americas. The other night, I saw an interesting documentary on West African illegal immigration to Europe through Spain´s Canary Islands. The migrants come from several African countries and travel over the open sea posing as fishermen and paying "coyotes" to tranport them. They carry no identification so there is no way to know their country of origin, hence, no logical way to deport them. The Spanish government takes them into custody on the islands then flies them gratis to Spain where they provide them temporary dormitory lodging and food, admonishing them to leave and go back home. Then they let them go at which point the illegals spread out all over Europe seeking work. In fact, just as in the United States, European employers have become dependent on a cheap supply of illegal foreign labor so there is no concerted effort to deport these people who are crammed together in urban ghettos in subsidized housing for the most part. It is a powder keg in Europe that will explode some day. Actually, despite the fact that there is a criminal element among the illegals legitimately seeking work tin the U.S. that will contribute to crime in that country, I don´t think the problem will explode the way it probably will in Europe.

Let´s not forget that it´s the fat cat businesses in Europe and the U.S. (read Republicans for the most part) that benefit from this illegal activity which they wink at and always will. That´s not a political statement but a statement of simple fact. That´s why the Republican administration in the United States and governments all over Europe don´t enforce the laws. It has nothing to do with human compassion.

sfmacaws

Jan 28, 2007, 12:13 PM

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Re: [Bubba] Illegal Immigration in Chiapas

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I've seen some video of Africa immigrants storming a Spanish base in No Africa. I agree that it is the same problem everywhere and no one has come up with a perfect solution.

I really don't want to laugh at others misfortune but if Europe were to explode as you mentioned, I would have in the front of my mind all the Euros who have been so derogatory about the US struggles with this problem. Way too many of them have thought it was their god-given right to tell me how much more civilized they were in Europe about immigration. OK, I would laugh, but only a little laugh.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

smokesilver

Jan 31, 2007, 6:11 PM

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Re: [Bubba] Illegal Immigration in Chiapas

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Dead on Bubba. But it has already begun. Just this past year there were a number of riots in many French cities by the Arab brethen therein. Remember that citizens in the old colonial empires of GB & France are considered citizens of those with rights of passage in & out of those countries. Very messy indeed.

Bubba

Jan 31, 2007, 7:33 PM

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Re: [sfmacaws] Illegal Immigration in Chiapas

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I really don't want to laugh at others misfortune but if Europe were to explode as you mentioned, I would have in the front of my mind all the Euros who have been so derogatory about the US struggles with this problem. Way too many of them have thought it was their god-given right to tell me how much more civilized they were in Europe about immigration

Actually, Jonna, I have no idea where you got that notion. I can´t speak of Europe in general but I can tell you for a fact that in the forty years that I have been visiting France, primarily Paris but really all over the country, I have never felt that the French, who in general are among the most racist people on earth, were derogatory about U.S. immigration problems at all. They wish they had our problems, believe me.

Americans are a lot more open and accepting of Latin American and Asian immigrants than Europeans are of their immigrants.

I am pleased with myself as, when I first visited my new wife´s family in Paris in the 1970s and saw the way the French treated the largely French Arabs and, to a lesser extent, the West Africans in their midst. I told my wife that someday there would be hell to pay. Someday is upon us.

smokesilver

Feb 1, 2007, 6:39 PM

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Re: [Bubba] Illegal Immigration in Chiapas

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As a member of the USAF in Vietnam in the early 60,s when the war was just getting off the ground, I observed the manner in which the expats French still living in Vietnam treated the locals. It's no wonder that the locals always distrusted & hated the French. The French treated them like 'dogs' even after they had their butts beat by the Viet Minh.