Monday, November 02, 2009

Our Neighbor to the South   [Mark Krikorian]

Recent news tidbits from Mexico, courtesy of the M3 Report, published by the National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers, which digests stories from Mexican papers:

Jobs Mexicans Won't Do: "The Mexican state of Chiapas [on the border with Guatemala] is currently expecting the arrival of 25,000 to 40,000 Central American farm workers, most of whom stay in Chiapas for the coffee harvest. . . . In the last few years, Chiapas has been 'seriously affected due to the departure of young Chiapans, who seek new opportunities in the agricultural fields of the United States.' This has caused state officials to grant temporary work permits to field workers from Central America to meet the demand for field hands in coffee plantations."

Man Bites Dog: "Yesterday (Thursday[October 29]) was the first day this year that not one homicide was reported in Cd. Juarez. The last time that there was a day without murder in the city was December 28, 2008." Juarez is across the river from El Paso.

Back to Normal: "After over a day without murder in Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua, the crime has resumed. By Friday afternoon through Saturday morning, 10 people had been killed. The article goes on to give details of each of the murders that have raised the total in the city for this year to 2,105."

It Beats Swimming Across the Pacific: "On Tuesday night, thirty-five Chinese arrived in Guadalajara aboard a flight from Cancun, Quintana Roo. None of the Chinese had a visa allowing them to enter or be in Mexico, and all were detained. Unofficially, it was learned that this case is related to the recent scandal involving the 'INM' (Mex. Natn'l. Immigration Agency) in the state of Quintana Roo, where a number of officials have been found to be involved in people trafficking."

Not Just for the Money: "Alberto Fabre Platas, a 'Universidad Veracruzana' researcher, said that, among adolescents, migration is tied to social legitimization issues because they consider it a passage to adulthood in order to be accepted by their communities. . . . He added that there is no correlation between poorer and better-off communities as far as the rate of emigration to the United States."

11/02 03:58 PMShare