Federal Mexican Senator Sansores San Román alleged the National Migration Institute is useless and its operation in the Southern border of Mexico and Guatemala is to costly to maintain.
By H. Nelson Goodson
April 26, 2013
Mexico City - On Tuesday, Federal Senator Layda Sansores San Román (political party Moviemento Ciudadano) in a compelling speech during the Mexican Federal Senate hearing told other Senators to dissolve the National Migration Institute (INM-Mexico's Immigration Department) for its inability to provide security, control of the southern border and its lack to protect foreign undocumented immigrants against organized criminal organizations targeting immigrants from Central and South America while crossing into Mexico through the Guatemala border. She called for the removal of Ardelio Vargas Fosado, the INM Commissioner for his failure to protect immigrants and his inability to act against criminal organizations extorting, mutilating immigrants, raping women, robbing and killing foreign immigrants while traveling from Tabasco, Veracruz, Chapias, Baja California to the U.S. border.
Sansores San Román said, a criminal organization affiliated with the Zetas is operating in Tenosique, Tabasco. Recently, four immigrants came forward to expose the criminal activity in the area. One of the witnesses was killed, one was reported shot and two from Honduras were presently getting help from her office.
Four suspects were identified by Sen. Sansores San Román as El Chakira, El 30-30, El Mudo, El Tartamudo and El Fantasma who were arrested for extorting immigrants. They spent 15 days in jail, paid a bond and were freed, according to the senator. The suspects then filed a complaint with the Tabasco Department of Justice against La 72 Refuge immigrant shelter operator, Franciscan Priest Tomás González Castillo and Rubén Figueroa, an immigrant rights activist from the Mesoamerican Migrant Movement organization for defamation of moral character. Both Castillo and Figueroa along with the four victims had filed a complaint with local, state and federal authorities in March about the extortions taking place in Tenosique train route to Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz.
The five suspects were arrested and they even confessed to authorities about their involvement in the extortion of immigrants. Castillo and Figueroa had their lives threaten by a local criminal group that has vowed to behead them.
They asked for protection, but now police and federal authorities surround the refuge shelter preventing undocumented immigrants from seeking temporary shelter, according to Sen. Sansores San Román. About 80 to 90 immigrants used to seek shelter at La 72 per night. She called for local, federal authorities and the military to be assigned along the border and route of La Bestia to provide security and protection to immigrants.
Immigrants are fequently extorted by criminals and if they don't pay a $100 to $300 dollars quota to board a freight train called the Beast (La Bestia), they are thrown off the moving train, killing them, mutilating them or causing severe injuries for life.
About 450 immigration and federal police personnel are assigned to the southern Mexican border with Guatemala making it easy for criminal organizations to target immigrants. Sen. Sansores San Román also called for more national security (military) of the southern border and protection for those immigrants traveling through Mexico on their way to the U.S. border.
Senator Angelíca del Rosario Araujo Lara (PRI) told senators, that between January 2007 to July 2012, the INM had helped or provided assistance to more than 1 million immigrants, and the INM station Siglo 21 in the Southern border can hold 900 detainees and had deported at least 70,200 undocumented immigrants. From the 140,000 of undocumented immigrants that travel through Mexico every year, about 9% are females and 21% are children, according to INM statistics.
Senator Zoé Alejandro Roblero Aburto (PRD) also stated, that while traveling with a delegation of senators, he received testimonials of abuses perpetuated on immigrants and more abuses would escalate to catastrophic proportions, if Mexico fails to provide the needed security and human rights protections for immigrants.
Senator Victor Hemosillo y Celada (PAN) stated, that Mexico should stop treating the Mexican nationals deported from the U.S. differently, its continued denial to provide economic aid and assistance to help them relocate and adjust in the country. He also voiced his support to push for immigration reform of the INM and additional national security for the southern border to combat organized crime targeting undocumented immigrants.
In the last six years, about 70,000 undocumented immigrants have disappeared while traveling through Mexico on their way to the U.S. border. Only 80 of those missing have been found alive, according to Figueroa.
Sen. Sansores San Román speech in Spanish at video link: http://bit.ly/15TrHz0
