Tel-Chai Nation

Mark in Mexico was witness to one of the worst riots in Mexico, and, having read this, I can see why quite a few people want to get away from the place: there's dreadful rioting going on, and, as a friend of my father's once told him, the wages in many jobs there are drastically low, which makes it very hard for some residents to manage an affordable life. And yet, if any illegal immigrants are going to ply the kind of trade in the US that the teachers strike in Mexico demonstrated just the tip of the iceberg of, I can't say they're earning their stay in the US of A.

That aside, it's apparent that for someone who's allegedly a conservative, el presidente Fox is certainly not a capitalist, if he does nothing to provide better wages and economy for the people of Mexico while at the same time trying to foist their wrath upon the US citizens. If that's how it's going to be, time for him to go, I suppose.

As bad as these kind of strikes are, since they damage the tourist trade in Mexico (or what could be left of it), that's probably nothing compared to the nightmare that's besieged the city of Juarez, which borders across from El Paso, Texas. Back in October 2004, the Dartmouth Free Press had a shocking report about how crimes against women there are massive:

Ciudad Juarez is a city of two million people, burgeoning with commerce and industry, directly across the border from El Paso, Texas. It is heralded by the local tourism department as “a city of great people, interesting attractions, fine restaurants, a fascinating history, and very impressive shopping values.” The rape and murder of almost 400 women over the last 11 years, with many more suspected dead, doesn’t make the list.

The Mexican government conservatively estimates that since ’93, 370 women have been murdered in Juarez, at least 137 of whom were sexually assaulted prior to being killed as well. Over 70 women are missing. Nearly every victim has been a worker in the maquiladoras that have grown up in the city since the signing of several free trade agreements in the early ’90s. Most of the women have been between the ages of 11 and 25, and all have been poor, slim and dark-skinned. These atrocities initially had the markings of a serial killer, and so the Mexican government made meager and limited attempts to investigate them as such. The Mexican authorities have arrested at least 12 suspects since ’95 without so much as slowing the tide of brutal rape-murders. Despite crackdowns on suspect gangs and further arrests, the murders proceed unabated.

It has become apparent to much of the public and many human rights organizations that there is a deeper problem, one to which the Mexican authorities seem blind. Human rights reports criticizing inept police-work in ’98 were suppressed for political reasons. Amnesty International is now demanding immediate federal intervention in the investigation, independent judicial review of the cases handled so far by the Chihuahua Public Prosecutor’s office, and a more concerted effort at recovering and identifying bodies.

The lack of trust in the local police department has reached the point where many suspect their direct involvement in the crimes themselves, or the subsequent cover-up. The local authorities seem reluctant to suspect anyone other than serial killers, copycat killers, and gang members. In fact, for the first few years, and in some cases to this day, they blame the women for being out at night (although many of the shifts end at midnight), or for involving themselves with prostitution (completely uncorroborated accusations in the vast majority of cases). In 11 years, the Juarez police, the governments of Chihuahua and Mexico, and even the FBI have failed to even determine who or what groups are responsible for these murders, let alone how to stop them. The city of Juarez is eager to downplay the situation in order to maintain its tourism, and the industrial community has offered no help whatsoever in solving the murders.

Mexico may not actually be a Central American country, but it's still just as crime-ridden as much of the rest of the lower end of the continent. A serious and frightening case indeed, and if it's still going on, it needs to be stopped.

If you ask me, it's these poor women whose lives are in danger of the criminal gangs in places like Juarez who should be given refugee status in the US. Sadly, it's the fanatics already within America's borders who've been offered citizenship, when it's really the ladies back in Mexico itself who really deserve it. Now that the Senate appears to be backing off the amnesty bill for illegal immigrants, maybe they'll consider something better, like offering refugee status, if anything, to the senoritas who could use a safer place to live instead?

Also available at Assorted Babble, Blue Star Chronicles, bRight & Early, Cao's Blog, Gribbit's Word, Jo's Cafe, Mark My Words, Stop the ACLU.

Labels: Latin America