Sep 30, 2010
Immigration Crackdown: Local jurisdictions find they can't opt out of federal immigration enforcement program
Local jurisdictions find they can't opt out of federal immigration enforcement program: "A senior ICE official... said, 'Secure Communities is not based on state or local cooperation in federal law enforcement. The program's foundation is information sharing between FBI and ICE. State and local law enforcement agencies are going to continue to fingerprint people and those fingerprints are forwarded to FBI for criminal checks. ICE will take immigration action appropriately.'" Sept. 30, 2010, Washington Post
Questions for Our Readers
This blog has now been published for three months in its present form. We are both pleased and humbled by the response: over 10,000 visits in those three months, with over 5,000 this month. A little over half the visits come from the U.S. and ten percent from Mexico. The rest come from Europe and Asia.
We would like to know our audience better. So we have some questions for you. You can answer in the comments box below this post.
We would like to know our audience better. So we have some questions for you. You can answer in the comments box below this post.
- Why do you read this blog?
- What do you find of value?
- How can we improve it?
- For our European and Asian readers: why are you interested in news about Mexcico and the impact of U.S. policies on its neighbor?
We thank you for you reponses.
MexicoBlog Editorial: Hope from the Hinterlands
Each day, we read many articles from many news sources, selecting for this blog those we think are most enlightening on the issues of U.S. policy that affect Mexico, particularly drugs and immigration. As would be expected, the major media show up most often: the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, AP, Reuters, as well alternative sources such as NPR, Alternet and some blogs.
But other media, less well-known - even unknown outside their local territory - also show up, reporting and stating opinions clearly and with intelligence on the issues of drugs and immigration. In the past month, for example, we have posted worthy articles from WLWT radio of Cincinnati, Ohio, the Louisiana Weekly, the Terra Haute (Indiana) TribStar, the Pensacola (Florida) News Journal, and the San Gabriel Valley (California) Tribune.
We also see that the world is watching. This month we have posted reports on the U.S.-Mexico connection that have appeared in such far-flung places as Austrailia, Singapore, and the Ukraine, as well as in neighboring Ottawa, Canada. This blog aims to educate a U.S. audience. Its second largest audience is, not surprisingly, in Mexico. But it has readers from around the world, from many countries in Europe, including the Ukraine and Russia, and in Asia. For some reason we don't yet fathom, there is a lot of interest in South Korea!
In the midst of all the horrific news of the drug war and the demagoguery over immigration, this evidence that there is meaningful reporting going on in the far corners of the United States - and that the whole world is watching - gives us hope. Here's to freedom of the press and the Internet!
We also see that the world is watching. This month we have posted reports on the U.S.-Mexico connection that have appeared in such far-flung places as Austrailia, Singapore, and the Ukraine, as well as in neighboring Ottawa, Canada. This blog aims to educate a U.S. audience. Its second largest audience is, not surprisingly, in Mexico. But it has readers from around the world, from many countries in Europe, including the Ukraine and Russia, and in Asia. For some reason we don't yet fathom, there is a lot of interest in South Korea!
In the midst of all the horrific news of the drug war and the demagoguery over immigration, this evidence that there is meaningful reporting going on in the far corners of the United States - and that the whole world is watching - gives us hope. Here's to freedom of the press and the Internet!
Whack-a-mole: Mexican Drug Cartels Operating in Our Backyards
The government's "whack-a-mole" drug strategy is working so well! Yes, the Mexican cartels "are in our backyards," growiing pot, among other things. If pot were legal, they wouldn't be there.
Collateral Damage: Why so many mayors are now targets in Mexican drug war
The weakness of the rule of law is the biggest issue in Mexico.
Sep 28, 2010
Legalization: Voters leaning toward legalizing marijuana
Go, California!
Voters leaning toward legalizing marijuana - sacbee.com: "California voters are leaning toward making the Golden State the first state in the nation to legalize marijuana for recreational use. In a new Field Poll of likely voters for the Nov. 2 election, the Proposition 19 marijuana initiative leads by a 49 percent to 42 percent margin." Sept. 26, 2010, Sacramento Bee
Voters leaning toward legalizing marijuana - sacbee.com: "California voters are leaning toward making the Golden State the first state in the nation to legalize marijuana for recreational use. In a new Field Poll of likely voters for the Nov. 2 election, the Proposition 19 marijuana initiative leads by a 49 percent to 42 percent margin." Sept. 26, 2010, Sacramento Bee
Immigration reform debate: Debunking myths and raising our voices
A black Congresswoman from the heart of Brooklyn speaks to the Black community in Louisiana about how immigration reform does not threaten that community.
Immigration reform debate: Debunking myths and raising our voices - The Louisiana Weekly: OpEd by Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) "Immigrant neighbors and the Black community should not be pitted against each other, as they face the same challenges. African Americans and immigrants share a common desire for fair opportunities to reach the American Dream. The real issue is found in the discriminatory practices that immigrants and African Americans both face. Comprehensive Immigration Reform can be a sensible answer to these problems." Sept. 27, 2010
Immigration reform debate: Debunking myths and raising our voices - The Louisiana Weekly: OpEd by Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) "Immigrant neighbors and the Black community should not be pitted against each other, as they face the same challenges. African Americans and immigrants share a common desire for fair opportunities to reach the American Dream. The real issue is found in the discriminatory practices that immigrants and African Americans both face. Comprehensive Immigration Reform can be a sensible answer to these problems." Sept. 27, 2010
Immigration Politics: Obama: Immigration issue is being 'demagogued'
Yes, on the demagoguery!
Immigration Reality: An Arizona Act of Kindness, Leaving Water for Immigrants, or an Offense?
Am I my brother's keeper, or not?
An Arizona Act of Kindness, Leaving Water for Immigrants, or an Offense? - NYTimes.com: "Fourteen ... volunteers for Tucson-based organizations that provide aid to immigrants crossing from Mexico to the United States were ... cited (for littering). Most of the cases were later dropped, but Mr. Millis and another volunteer for a religious group called No More Deaths were convicted of defacing the (National Wildlife) refuge with their water jug drops. A U.S. Appeals court later overturned their convictions." Sept. 26, 2010
An Arizona Act of Kindness, Leaving Water for Immigrants, or an Offense? - NYTimes.com: "Fourteen ... volunteers for Tucson-based organizations that provide aid to immigrants crossing from Mexico to the United States were ... cited (for littering). Most of the cases were later dropped, but Mr. Millis and another volunteer for a religious group called No More Deaths were convicted of defacing the (National Wildlife) refuge with their water jug drops. A U.S. Appeals court later overturned their convictions." Sept. 26, 2010
Collateral Damage: Mexican Mayor Becomes 11th City Chief Killed in 2010
Another blow, all too literally to the rule of law in Mexico. TancĆtaro is a small town in the mountains of western MichoacĆ”n, near its border with the State of Jalisco, and about thirty-five miles west of the city of Uruapan (pop. about 200,000).
Mexican Mayor Becomes 11th City Chief Killed in 2010 - BusinessWeek: "An interim mayor of the Mexican town of Tancitaro in Michoacan state became the country’s 11th city chief killed this year, and may have been stoned to death. Gustavo Sanchez’s corpse was found on a road in the Michoacan city of Uruapan" Sept. 27, 2010
Mexican Mayor Becomes 11th City Chief Killed in 2010 - BusinessWeek: "An interim mayor of the Mexican town of Tancitaro in Michoacan state became the country’s 11th city chief killed this year, and may have been stoned to death. Gustavo Sanchez’s corpse was found on a road in the Michoacan city of Uruapan" Sept. 27, 2010
Whack-a-mole: Gunmen Steal Arms from Mexican Police
Such is the state of police forces in Mexico. And the U.S. wants them to win a war?!
Mexico and Ukraine vs. the factor of distance
This blog has a global audience, including readers in the Ukraine, as well as Russia. Here is an interview by a Ukrainian newspaper, "The Day," with the new Mexican ambassador to their country, Berenice Rendon Talavera.. Mexico, the Ukraine and all of us are part of the global world.
Mexico and Ukraine vs. the factor of distance /ŠŠŠŠ¬/: "“I am the first ambassador of Mexico in Ukraine, so it was a great surprise for me to find a young independent country. We were talking about Mexico’s 200 years of independence and we have not solved all our problems yet. You only started 19 years ago. I think that for such a young country — with a very strong and proud sense of national identity — you have made a lot of progress. Because it is an open society; the most striking thing is how open, nice and hospitable people the Ukrainians are. I thought it would be very difficult for me to adapt to a country this far — not only in distance but also culturally — from Mexico. I thought that language was going to be an obstacle to communicate with people. By now I see that this country is very easy to adapt to.”"
Legalization: Time to end the war on marijuana
This is an OpEd by by Bill Piper, the director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance. It gives all the arguments as to why drugs should be legalized, which is nothing new to those of us who agree. What is news is where this is published, on CNN!
Sep 27, 2010
Collateral Damage: Mexicans Take Justice into Their Own Hands in Violence Reminiscent of the 1910 Revolution
In the MexicoBlog we do not focus on the bloody violence of the drug war in Mexico but on the its consequences for social order, its damage to communities and to the development of democratic institutions. This article includes a bloody picture, but the message is about the lack of faith that many Mexican communities have in their politicians and police who ought to place the security of their citizens foremost. In this case, ominously, some members of the community took justice into their own hands.
The Cutting Edge News: "An attempted kidnapping September 21 in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua touched off a burst of mass outrage that left two suspected young kidnappers dead and a small town in open rebellion." Sept. 27, 2010.
The Cutting Edge News: "An attempted kidnapping September 21 in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua touched off a burst of mass outrage that left two suspected young kidnappers dead and a small town in open rebellion." Sept. 27, 2010.
Whack-a-mole and Immigration Madness: At War In Texas
Here the theme of "whack-a-mole," "secure the border" militarization - as a response to the perceived threat of the Mexican drug war "spilliing over" into U.S. border states - gets merged with the theme of immigration madness that perceives an invasion of "illegal aliens." The article is a detailed and scary description of how Texas sheriffs and politicians are allied in waging their own version of war at the border, using mostly federal funds which are supplied in increasing abundance by the Obama administration in order to placate the locals.
At War In Texas - Boston Review — Tom Barry: "Nowhere has the post-9/11 border-security framework been so enthusiastically adopted—and adapted—as in Texas, where local law enforcement, the state political leadership, and a contingent of the congressional delegation have taken border security into their own hands, albeit largely with federal funding." Sept/Oct. issue, Boston Review, which describes itself as, "a nonpartisan magazine of ideas: animated by hope, committed to equality and reason, convinced that the imagination eludes political categories."
At War In Texas - Boston Review — Tom Barry: "Nowhere has the post-9/11 border-security framework been so enthusiastically adopted—and adapted—as in Texas, where local law enforcement, the state political leadership, and a contingent of the congressional delegation have taken border security into their own hands, albeit largely with federal funding." Sept/Oct. issue, Boston Review, which describes itself as, "a nonpartisan magazine of ideas: animated by hope, committed to equality and reason, convinced that the imagination eludes political categories."
U.S.-Mexico Relations: US to aid Mexico's judicial reforms
Here is an intervention much more to the point than military aid.
Sep 26, 2010
MexicoBlog Editorial: Racism, the Free Market and the Creation of the "Illegal" Mexican Migrant
The history of U.S. immigration law, as we laid out in last week's MexicoBlog editorial, Setting the Record Straight on "Legal" Immigration, is a history of racism. In addition to justifying the virtual extermination and exclusion of Native Americans and the enslavement of Africans, after the Civil War, racism continued to be legally implemented not only through "Jim Crow " laws, but also through immigration legislation designed to exclude, first, Asians, and then non-WASP Europeans.
This legalized racism, of course, has also targeted Mexicans who have come to the United States. But as they did with the excluded Chinese, racist immigration laws came into conflict with the demands of U.S. businesses that sought cheap labor in a "free market." The result of this conflict between racism and market economics has been that Mexicans, and other Latin Americans, who have come to the U.S. - like all other immigrants - solely to seek work, have been turned into demonized, "illegal aliens" with no exit from their plight.
From the annexation of Mexican territory in 1848 until the end of the nineteenth century, no functional border actually existed between the two countries, as there were no immigration laws to enforce and no border patrol was needed. It is estimated that up to 50,000 Mexicans came into the Southwest as agricultural, railroad and mine workers between 1850 and 1880. The tradition of migrant labor was established early on. During the same period, and into the 1920's, Mexicans were the second largest group of people lynched, after African-Americans.
With the passage of the first, racist immigration laws in the 1880's and '90's, excluding Chinese laborers, the railroads and growers turned to Mexican laborers, creating the first Mexican contract labor system. The Immigration Act of 1917, designed to permanently exclude Asian immigrants, also excluded illiterates. However, with the approach of World War I, labor was in demand, so illiterate Mexican laborers were granted waivers by the Department of Labor, thus creating the first government sponsored bracero system, which lasted until 1921.
The advent of alcohol Prohibition in 1920 and the passage of the racist Immigration Acts of 1921 and 1924 precipitated the creation of the Border Patrol in 1924. Its mission was to keep out alcohol and "illegal aliens," that is, Chinese who were sneaking in via Canada and Mexico and any other "aliens" without the now-required immigration visa from a U.S. consular office in their home country. No quota was placed on Mexican immigrants, but they needed a visa to enter. Migrant workers, who had no interest in being "immigrants," were no longer granted waivers. Their need for work and the need of U.S. growers and other capitalists continued, so migrants now crossed the newly enforced border "illegally."
With the onset of the Great Depression in 1929, annimosity arose against these "illegal aliens" as well as against legal Mexican immigrants and Mexican-American U.S. citizens. The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) launched the first governmental assault on Mexicans in the U.S. About one million Mexicans were "repatriated" to Mexico over a ten year period. More than half were U.S. citizens.
World War II once again created a demand for labor. Agricultural labor was especially needed, as young U.S men went to war and those left at home went into factory work. The government therefore created the second bracero program. With continued post-war demand and then the Korean war, the program was continued until 1964, bringing over four million Mexican workers into the country on temporary work visas. However, this influx did not meet the need for agricultural workers, so many more came without these visas, "illegally."
In reaction, anti-Mexican animosity rose, leading the INS to launch its second deportation assault, "Operation Wetback," in 1954. Over one million Mexicans were apprehended. Ironically, because of growers' demands for labor, many were delivered at the border, not to Mexican authorities, but to workers from the Department of Labor, who issued them bracero work visas so that they could return "legally" to their employers's fields.
The bracero program was ended in 1964, in part due to exposure of the abuses of laborers by their employers. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 replaced it with the H-2 temporary work visas program. In the 1986 revision of immigration law, these visas were divided into agricultural (H-2A) and non-agricultural (H-2B) work visas. To access workers through the program, potential employers first had to certify to the Department of Labor that they could not find U.S. workers to fill the jobs. Once approved by the Labor Department, the employer then had to register with INS to process workers that he found to use the visas. Many employers did not choose to do this, but continued to use "illegal" migrants.
The 1984 law granted amnesty and a path to legal status to those in the country without such status. But it also began the process of fortifying the border with more Border Patrol agents and surveillance equipment to try to prevent more illegal crossings. President Bill Clinton continued this in the 1990's, initiating the building of a border fence. This attempt to seal the border actually led to a major change in migration patterns. Before this, migrants had moved relatively easily back and forth with the seasonal work needs. With the crossings made more difficult, migrants stayed put in the U.S. and even brought their families over. As a result, the number of "illegal" migrants increased and they became, in effect, permanent immigrants. Their children, now born here, are U.S. citizens.
The implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, while touted to reduce migration, actually increased it significantly. With the dropping of Mexican tariffs, U.S. government-subsidized corn flooded the Mexican market, such that Mexican small farmers could not compete and had to abandon farming. Many migrated to the U.S. in order to survive.
The effort of President George W. Bush, in 2007, to get immigration reforms passed that would address the issue of "illegal immigrants" was stonewalled by right-wing forces that resorted to old racist fears of Mexican migrants. These same racist fears - and the political demagoguery that manipulates them - continue to demonize Mexicans and other Latin Americans as "illegal aliens," a status in fact created by racially motivated changes in U.S. law and that law's failures to address the demands and abuses of the U.S. labor market. Until these truths are recognized, Mexican and other Central American migrants will remain trapped outside the pale of legal acceptance.
This legalized racism, of course, has also targeted Mexicans who have come to the United States. But as they did with the excluded Chinese, racist immigration laws came into conflict with the demands of U.S. businesses that sought cheap labor in a "free market." The result of this conflict between racism and market economics has been that Mexicans, and other Latin Americans, who have come to the U.S. - like all other immigrants - solely to seek work, have been turned into demonized, "illegal aliens" with no exit from their plight.
From the annexation of Mexican territory in 1848 until the end of the nineteenth century, no functional border actually existed between the two countries, as there were no immigration laws to enforce and no border patrol was needed. It is estimated that up to 50,000 Mexicans came into the Southwest as agricultural, railroad and mine workers between 1850 and 1880. The tradition of migrant labor was established early on. During the same period, and into the 1920's, Mexicans were the second largest group of people lynched, after African-Americans.
With the passage of the first, racist immigration laws in the 1880's and '90's, excluding Chinese laborers, the railroads and growers turned to Mexican laborers, creating the first Mexican contract labor system. The Immigration Act of 1917, designed to permanently exclude Asian immigrants, also excluded illiterates. However, with the approach of World War I, labor was in demand, so illiterate Mexican laborers were granted waivers by the Department of Labor, thus creating the first government sponsored bracero system, which lasted until 1921.
The advent of alcohol Prohibition in 1920 and the passage of the racist Immigration Acts of 1921 and 1924 precipitated the creation of the Border Patrol in 1924. Its mission was to keep out alcohol and "illegal aliens," that is, Chinese who were sneaking in via Canada and Mexico and any other "aliens" without the now-required immigration visa from a U.S. consular office in their home country. No quota was placed on Mexican immigrants, but they needed a visa to enter. Migrant workers, who had no interest in being "immigrants," were no longer granted waivers. Their need for work and the need of U.S. growers and other capitalists continued, so migrants now crossed the newly enforced border "illegally."
With the onset of the Great Depression in 1929, annimosity arose against these "illegal aliens" as well as against legal Mexican immigrants and Mexican-American U.S. citizens. The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) launched the first governmental assault on Mexicans in the U.S. About one million Mexicans were "repatriated" to Mexico over a ten year period. More than half were U.S. citizens.
World War II once again created a demand for labor. Agricultural labor was especially needed, as young U.S men went to war and those left at home went into factory work. The government therefore created the second bracero program. With continued post-war demand and then the Korean war, the program was continued until 1964, bringing over four million Mexican workers into the country on temporary work visas. However, this influx did not meet the need for agricultural workers, so many more came without these visas, "illegally."
In reaction, anti-Mexican animosity rose, leading the INS to launch its second deportation assault, "Operation Wetback," in 1954. Over one million Mexicans were apprehended. Ironically, because of growers' demands for labor, many were delivered at the border, not to Mexican authorities, but to workers from the Department of Labor, who issued them bracero work visas so that they could return "legally" to their employers's fields.
The bracero program was ended in 1964, in part due to exposure of the abuses of laborers by their employers. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 replaced it with the H-2 temporary work visas program. In the 1986 revision of immigration law, these visas were divided into agricultural (H-2A) and non-agricultural (H-2B) work visas. To access workers through the program, potential employers first had to certify to the Department of Labor that they could not find U.S. workers to fill the jobs. Once approved by the Labor Department, the employer then had to register with INS to process workers that he found to use the visas. Many employers did not choose to do this, but continued to use "illegal" migrants.
The 1984 law granted amnesty and a path to legal status to those in the country without such status. But it also began the process of fortifying the border with more Border Patrol agents and surveillance equipment to try to prevent more illegal crossings. President Bill Clinton continued this in the 1990's, initiating the building of a border fence. This attempt to seal the border actually led to a major change in migration patterns. Before this, migrants had moved relatively easily back and forth with the seasonal work needs. With the crossings made more difficult, migrants stayed put in the U.S. and even brought their families over. As a result, the number of "illegal" migrants increased and they became, in effect, permanent immigrants. Their children, now born here, are U.S. citizens.
The implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, while touted to reduce migration, actually increased it significantly. With the dropping of Mexican tariffs, U.S. government-subsidized corn flooded the Mexican market, such that Mexican small farmers could not compete and had to abandon farming. Many migrated to the U.S. in order to survive.
The effort of President George W. Bush, in 2007, to get immigration reforms passed that would address the issue of "illegal immigrants" was stonewalled by right-wing forces that resorted to old racist fears of Mexican migrants. These same racist fears - and the political demagoguery that manipulates them - continue to demonize Mexicans and other Latin Americans as "illegal aliens," a status in fact created by racially motivated changes in U.S. law and that law's failures to address the demands and abuses of the U.S. labor market. Until these truths are recognized, Mexican and other Central American migrants will remain trapped outside the pale of legal acceptance.
Immigration Reality: The Role of Immigrants in the U.S. Labor Market: Report of the Congressional Budget Office
And here are the facts on immigrant employment from the government itself. Essentially, Mexican and Central American immigrants are only competing with high school dropouts.
The Role of Immigrants in the U.S. Labor Market: An Update: Report of the Congressional Budget Office, July 2010
To a considerable extent, educational attainment determines the role of foreign-born workers in the labor market. In 2009, 70 percent of workers born in Mexico and Central America were employed in occupations that have minimal educational requirements, such as construction laborer and dishwasher; only 23 percent of native-born workers held such jobs.
In 2009, over half of the foreign-born workers from Mexico and Central America did not have a high school diploma or GED credential, as compared with just 6 percent of nativeborn workers. On average, the weekly earnings of men from Mexico and Central America who worked full time were just over half those of native-born men; women from Mexico and Central America earned about three-fifths of the average weekly earnings of native-born women.
The Role of Immigrants in the U.S. Labor Market: An Update: Report of the Congressional Budget Office, July 2010
To a considerable extent, educational attainment determines the role of foreign-born workers in the labor market. In 2009, 70 percent of workers born in Mexico and Central America were employed in occupations that have minimal educational requirements, such as construction laborer and dishwasher; only 23 percent of native-born workers held such jobs.
In 2009, over half of the foreign-born workers from Mexico and Central America did not have a high school diploma or GED credential, as compared with just 6 percent of nativeborn workers. On average, the weekly earnings of men from Mexico and Central America who worked full time were just over half those of native-born men; women from Mexico and Central America earned about three-fifths of the average weekly earnings of native-born women.
Immigration Reality: The mega payoff of increased immigration is lost on the pols
Here is more discussion of the report released last week on how immigrants boost the employment level of native-born workers.
The mega payoff of increased immigration is lost on the pols: "I have a plan that will raise wages, lower prices, increase the nation's stock of scientists and engineers, and maybe even create the next Google. Better yet, this plan won't cost the government a dime. In fact, it'll save money. A lot of money. But few politicians are going to want to touch it.
The mega payoff of increased immigration is lost on the pols: "I have a plan that will raise wages, lower prices, increase the nation's stock of scientists and engineers, and maybe even create the next Google. Better yet, this plan won't cost the government a dime. In fact, it'll save money. A lot of money. But few politicians are going to want to touch it.
Here's the plan: More immigration. A pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants. And a recognition that immigration policy is economic policy and needs to be thought of as such." Sept. 25, 2010, Washington Post
Sep 25, 2010
Whack-a-mole: ATF targets gun dealers to stem cartel arms trade
After reports last week that the AFT's "Gun Runner" strategy was being poorly implemented, the agency now announces a new strategy. We'll have to see how well this one works, including whether the gun lobby is able to stymie it.
ATF targets gun dealers to stem cartel arms trade - msnbc.com: "U.S. law enforcement officials have devised an aggressive and potentially controversial new strategy to crack down on the illegal gun trade to Mexico by targeting cartel networks inside this country and 'corrupt' U.S. firearms dealers, according to internal Justice Department documents obtained by NBC News.
Labeled “law enforcement sensitive,” it calls for ATF agents to put more emphasis on monitoring the activities of U.S. guns stores and other federally licensed firearms dealers who may be assisting or turning a blind eye to gun purchases by drug cartel operatives. The report describes such “corrupt” U.S. firearms dealers as “high value targets” -- a phrase that could rile gun rights groups and their supporters in Congress who charge ATF is already too aggressive in regulating the firearms industry." Sept. 24, 2010
ATF targets gun dealers to stem cartel arms trade - msnbc.com: "U.S. law enforcement officials have devised an aggressive and potentially controversial new strategy to crack down on the illegal gun trade to Mexico by targeting cartel networks inside this country and 'corrupt' U.S. firearms dealers, according to internal Justice Department documents obtained by NBC News.
Labeled “law enforcement sensitive,” it calls for ATF agents to put more emphasis on monitoring the activities of U.S. guns stores and other federally licensed firearms dealers who may be assisting or turning a blind eye to gun purchases by drug cartel operatives. The report describes such “corrupt” U.S. firearms dealers as “high value targets” -- a phrase that could rile gun rights groups and their supporters in Congress who charge ATF is already too aggressive in regulating the firearms industry." Sept. 24, 2010
Sep 24, 2010
Collateral Damage: Gunmen Kill Mexican Mayor Near Monterrey
More damage to the rule of law in Mexico.
Gunmen Kill Mexican Mayor Near Monterrey - NYTimes.com: "Suspected drug hitmen killed the mayor of a town outside Mexico's northern business city of Monterrey on Thursday, the fourth public official slain in little over a month, police said.
Mayor Prisciliano Rodriguez was shot and killed by gunmen as he drove to his ranch in his town of Doctor Gonzalez, 30 miles east of Monterrey in Nuevo Leon state, an official at the attorney general's office said." Sept. 24, 2010, Reuters
Gunmen Kill Mexican Mayor Near Monterrey - NYTimes.com: "Suspected drug hitmen killed the mayor of a town outside Mexico's northern business city of Monterrey on Thursday, the fourth public official slain in little over a month, police said.
Mayor Prisciliano Rodriguez was shot and killed by gunmen as he drove to his ranch in his town of Doctor Gonzalez, 30 miles east of Monterrey in Nuevo Leon state, an official at the attorney general's office said." Sept. 24, 2010, Reuters
U.S.-Mexican Relations: Supporting rule of law in Mexico
The rule of law and reform of police and the justice system is the big problem in Mexico, more than drugs.
Supporting rule of law in Mexico - Opinion - News From Terre Haute, Indiana: "In light of the economic ties of trade and the concerns about illegal immigration, drug trafficking and human smuggling into our country, it is clear that Mexico’s problems are Indiana’s problems as well. It seems to us that as attorneys and public servants, we have a duty to assist our beleaguered neighbors.
To that end, the Indiana Attorney General’s Office has agreed to participate in a program Congress funded that will provide training assistance to legal professionals in Mexico who want to fundamentally reform their justice system.
Supporting rule of law in Mexico - Opinion - News From Terre Haute, Indiana: "In light of the economic ties of trade and the concerns about illegal immigration, drug trafficking and human smuggling into our country, it is clear that Mexico’s problems are Indiana’s problems as well. It seems to us that as attorneys and public servants, we have a duty to assist our beleaguered neighbors.
To that end, the Indiana Attorney General’s Office has agreed to participate in a program Congress funded that will provide training assistance to legal professionals in Mexico who want to fundamentally reform their justice system.
Under an agreement signed by Indiana’s Attorney General, Greg Zoeller, and the Attorney General of the Mexican state of Baja California, Rommel Moreno Manjarrez, officials from Mexico will be brought to Indiana next week to learn more about criminal justice in our state and federal systems. During this “Rule of Law” program, 40 prosecutors and 40 police investigators from Mexico will be trained by deputy attorneys general, prosecutors, judges, and lawyers from throughout Indiana about the workings of our courts and our legal procedures." Sept. 24, 2010, TribStar, Terra Haute, Indiana
by Greg Zoeller, attorney general of Indiana, and Lee H. Hamilton, former U.S. representative from Indiana and recently retired president and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, who is currently the director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University.
Sep 23, 2010
Whack-a-mole: Is the Drug War a Class War?
Here is a very good question. Is there any doubt about the answer?
Immigration Politics: Republican's ‘Pledge to America’ Plans for Immigration
In case we didn´t already know what the Republican Party wants, here is their November election platform.
‘Pledge to America’ Plans for Immigration - The Washington Independent: "The GOP’s “Pledge to America” is pretty brief when it comes to immigration issues: It advocates control of the border, enforcement of immigration laws and strengthening visa security. (Notably absent? Any paths to legalization for illegal immigrants already in the country.) The document does not go so far as to name specific policy recommendations, but it hints at a few that might anger immigrants rights groups.
Here are the immigration-related items, followed by their likely policy implications:" Sept. 23, 2010
‘Pledge to America’ Plans for Immigration - The Washington Independent: "The GOP’s “Pledge to America” is pretty brief when it comes to immigration issues: It advocates control of the border, enforcement of immigration laws and strengthening visa security. (Notably absent? Any paths to legalization for illegal immigrants already in the country.) The document does not go so far as to name specific policy recommendations, but it hints at a few that might anger immigrants rights groups.
Here are the immigration-related items, followed by their likely policy implications:" Sept. 23, 2010
Collateral Damage: LATIN AMERICA: Five Million Women Have Fallen Prey to Trafficking Networks
LATIN AMERICA: Five Million Women Have Fallen Prey to Trafficking Networks - IPS ipsnews.net: Puebla, Mexico. "The fight against human trafficking in Latin America is ineffective and has led to the emergence of intra-regional markets for the trade, according to experts and activists meeting this week in this Mexican city.
In Mexico some 20,000 people a year fall victim to the modern-day slave trade, according to the Centre for Studies and Research on Social Development and Assistance (CEIDAS), which monitors the issue. The total number of victims in Latin America amounts to 250,000 a year, yielding a profit of 1.35 billion dollars for the traffickers, according to statistics from the Mexican Ministry of Public Security." Sept. 22, 2010
Collateral Damage: Juarez Editorial Ignites a Beleaguered Mexico
Mexico is struggling to become a democracy. The El Diario of Juarez editorial has provoked much civic debate on the "collateral damage" caused to this democracy by the war on drugs . ,This debate is essential to the strengthening of Mexican democracy.
Juarez Editorial Ignites a Beleaguered Mexico - NYTimes.com: " For many Mexicans, it was a voice that finally exposed in a very public and unusual way the intimidation felt across the country.
The editorial could be a turning point for Mexicans, pushing them to recognize the corrupting forces on freedom of expression in a country considered the most dangerous in the Americas for journalists." Sept. 23, 2010
Juarez Editorial Ignites a Beleaguered Mexico - NYTimes.com: " For many Mexicans, it was a voice that finally exposed in a very public and unusual way the intimidation felt across the country.
The editorial could be a turning point for Mexicans, pushing them to recognize the corrupting forces on freedom of expression in a country considered the most dangerous in the Americas for journalists." Sept. 23, 2010
Sep 22, 2010
Whack-a-mole: Latin American drug wars are our fault
Go, Canada! When is a U.S. columnist going to get this blunt with the public?
(P.S. If you want to learn more about how, "the Americans .. pushed to have drug prohibition entrenched in international law and ... twisted arms until everyone signed on" read our page, The Inflluence of the U.S. on United Nations Drug Policy)
Latin American drug wars are our fault: "You know how the illicit drug trade has plagued the countries of Latin America for decades? You know how it spreads corruption, undermines governance, and distorts economies? You know how it stacks corpses like cordwood?
You know all that? Good. Because you are responsible. Yes, you. None of this would be happening if the drug trade hadn't been banned -- that just handed it on a silver tray to thugs, gangsters, terrorists, and guerrillas. And you know who banned it? Your country. Canada.
Sure, it was the Americans who pushed to have drug prohibition entrenched in international law and it was the Americans who twisted arms until everyone signed on. But Canada supported the United States from the beginning. It still does. Sept. 22, 2010, Dan Gardner, The Ottawa Citizen
(P.S. If you want to learn more about how, "the Americans .. pushed to have drug prohibition entrenched in international law and ... twisted arms until everyone signed on" read our page, The Inflluence of the U.S. on United Nations Drug Policy)
Latin American drug wars are our fault: "You know how the illicit drug trade has plagued the countries of Latin America for decades? You know how it spreads corruption, undermines governance, and distorts economies? You know how it stacks corpses like cordwood?
You know all that? Good. Because you are responsible. Yes, you. None of this would be happening if the drug trade hadn't been banned -- that just handed it on a silver tray to thugs, gangsters, terrorists, and guerrillas. And you know who banned it? Your country. Canada.
Sure, it was the Americans who pushed to have drug prohibition entrenched in international law and it was the Americans who twisted arms until everyone signed on. But Canada supported the United States from the beginning. It still does. Sept. 22, 2010, Dan Gardner, The Ottawa Citizen
Globalization: U.S. is now Latin America's #3 arms supplier
Just the Facts: U.S. is now Latin America's #3 arms supplierOn September 10 the Congressional Research Service, (CRS) the research arm of the U.S. Congress, released its annual report on arms transfers to the developing world.
Latin America’s arms purchases lag behind those of developing countries in Asia and the Near East. The report, however, finds a very sharp growth in Latin American countries’ agreements to buy new weapons. Comparing the last two four-year periods (2002-2005 and 2006-2009), CRS documents a fourfold increase. (There was) an 80% growth in U.S. arms sales agreements to Latin America between these four-year periods.
During the 2006-2009 period, the United States in fact drops to third place among Latin America's top arms suppliers. Russia sold the region 46.78% of its weapons, France captured 26.55% of the market, and the United States accounted for 10.23% of the region's arms purchases. This is down from a 23.65% market share in 2002-2005. Sept. 22, 2010
Latin America’s arms purchases lag behind those of developing countries in Asia and the Near East. The report, however, finds a very sharp growth in Latin American countries’ agreements to buy new weapons. Comparing the last two four-year periods (2002-2005 and 2006-2009), CRS documents a fourfold increase. (There was) an 80% growth in U.S. arms sales agreements to Latin America between these four-year periods.
During the 2006-2009 period, the United States in fact drops to third place among Latin America's top arms suppliers. Russia sold the region 46.78% of its weapons, France captured 26.55% of the market, and the United States accounted for 10.23% of the region's arms purchases. This is down from a 23.65% market share in 2002-2005. Sept. 22, 2010
Immigration Politics: Harry Reid’s botched battles
Here is an analysis of the politics of it all: the Dream Act, Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the Nevada Senate race
Harry Reid's botched battles - Manu Raju and Jonathan Allen - POLITICO.com: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid hoped the defense policy bill would help make a final pre-election argument for Democrats while energizing the base on gay rights and immigration. But what he got was a failed vote and a mix of frustration and disappointment from the people he was trying to help. The stalled defense authorization bill — one of the last major Senate votes before November’s elections — was emblematic of the Nevada senator’s struggles to cut deals with the GOP while still pleasing core Democratic constituencies. Sept. 21, 2010
Harry Reid's botched battles - Manu Raju and Jonathan Allen - POLITICO.com: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid hoped the defense policy bill would help make a final pre-election argument for Democrats while energizing the base on gay rights and immigration. But what he got was a failed vote and a mix of frustration and disappointment from the people he was trying to help. The stalled defense authorization bill — one of the last major Senate votes before November’s elections — was emblematic of the Nevada senator’s struggles to cut deals with the GOP while still pleasing core Democratic constituencies. Sept. 21, 2010
Immigration Legislation: Republicans block moves on gays, immigration
So the Dream Act continues to stand at a stand-still.
Republicans block moves on gays, immigration - Washington Times: "Congressional Democrats' last-ditch, pre-election effort to pass gay rights and immigration legislation fell victim to a Republican-led filibuster Tuesday, dealing a setback to those trying to lift the ban on openly gay troops serving in the U.S. military. The filibuster also ended Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's hopes of attaching an amendment legalizing illegal immigrant children to the defense bill." Sept. 21, 2010
Republicans block moves on gays, immigration - Washington Times: "Congressional Democrats' last-ditch, pre-election effort to pass gay rights and immigration legislation fell victim to a Republican-led filibuster Tuesday, dealing a setback to those trying to lift the ban on openly gay troops serving in the U.S. military. The filibuster also ended Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's hopes of attaching an amendment legalizing illegal immigrant children to the defense bill." Sept. 21, 2010
Collateral Damage: Cry from Juarez: Newspaper's plaintive editorial raises troubling larger questions about Mexico
The Houston Chronicle says, "Mexico is well on the way to its own domestic tragedy on the scale of Vietnam. It is past time for Americans, and Texans in particular, to take notice. " That is very true. Unfortunately, it says nothing about what we should do to prevent such "collateral damage," and that is the question.
Cry from Juarez: Newspaper's plaintive editorial raises troubling larger questions about Mexico | Editorial |Houston Chronicle: "Ciudad Juarez is ruled by drug lords who murder with impunity. And now a leading newspaper is gravely wounded. El Diario's editors swear they won't pull back from the necessary work of exposing the violent, chaotic situation that is stealing the soul of a community and, quite possibly, a nation. We applaud their resolve.
This is all happening on our doorstep. We cannot ignore our neighbor's expanding crisis." Sept. 21, 2010
This is all happening on our doorstep. We cannot ignore our neighbor's expanding crisis." Sept. 21, 2010
Sep 21, 2010
Whack-a-mole: Limited progress in vetting police forces
More lack of reality in the Drug War. The moles are all through the police departments
Limited progress in vetting police forces : Reforma published data from a report by the National System for Public Security, which is part of the Ministry of Public Security, which showed that only 22% of police forces at the three levels of government had taken the exams that are supposed to help weed out corrupt or incompetent police in the two years since the initiative was announced. The process was supposed to take one year, but now has been extended until 2013. Sept. 20, 2010, Under the Volcano, Notes on Mexican Politics blog of the Zemi Communications Company
Limited progress in vetting police forces : Reforma published data from a report by the National System for Public Security, which is part of the Ministry of Public Security, which showed that only 22% of police forces at the three levels of government had taken the exams that are supposed to help weed out corrupt or incompetent police in the two years since the initiative was announced. The process was supposed to take one year, but now has been extended until 2013. Sept. 20, 2010, Under the Volcano, Notes on Mexican Politics blog of the Zemi Communications Company
Whack-a-mole: Calderon's Party Denies Nava Backed an Agreement With Mexico's Drug Gangs
Calderon's Party Denies Nava Backed an Agreement With Mexico's Drug Gangs - Bloomberg: "Mexican President Felipe Calderon’s political party said its leader didn’t call for the government to negotiate with drug traffickers to curtail violence. The National Action Party said in a statement today that its chief, Cesar Nava, never gave an interview to the Ciudad Juarez newspaper El Diario after it published a story today citing an interview with Nava.
El Diario wrote later today that its reporter was tricked by someone impersonating Nava, according to a note posted at the top of its website." Sept. 21, 2010
El Diario wrote later today that its reporter was tricked by someone impersonating Nava, according to a note posted at the top of its website." Sept. 21, 2010
Laura's Blog: In Ciudad Juarez, a Newspaper Lashes Out at Impunity
The Sunday editorial by El Diario, the largest daily newspaper in war-torn Ciudad JuƔrez, Chihuahua, has received international press and caused a stir here in Mexico. But most articles on this extraordinary message missed the point of the editorial. The gist of it is not about freedom of expression. It's about the insanity of the drug war and the chaos that Ciudad Juarez--the showplace for Mexico's militarized approach to fighting cartels--has become.
It's worthwhile reading the whole editorial (translated to English by a blogger here, Spanish original here), because it will be no doubt be considered a classic by historians of Mexico's tragically self-defeating drug war. The editorial was written by a staff that has seen two of its reporters murdered in the past two years, the last one on Sept. 16. Many others have been wounded or received threats.
It's not surprising then, that the paper begins its editorial--an open letter to drug cartels titled "What Do You Want From Us?"--in a tone of desperation.
"We're communicators, not mind-readers... explain to us what you're trying to get us to publish and not publish so we can know how to adjust... We don't want to see more dead. We don't want to see more wounded nor do we want to be intimidated. It is impossible for us to do our job under these conditions. Tell us, then, what you expect from us, as a newspaper?"
The editorial goes on to justify its direct appeal to the cartels by bluntly describing the situation of power in Ciudad Juarez, "You [the drug cartels] are, at this time, the de facto authorities in this city, because the legally mandated institutions have not been able to do anything to keep our colleagues from being murdered, even though we have repeatedly demanded action from them."
The frustration expressed by the newspaper comes from experience--the murder of an El Diario reporter in 2008 shows no signs of ever being solved by officials. Its reporters are at risk on a daily basis, with no effective protection mechanisms in place.
Many news media, including AP reported the story as the latest expression of self-censorship in the face of cartel coercion. But the New York Times and the Washington Post articles correctly note that El Diario has no intention of muzzling itself.
The real significance of El Diario's remarkable editorial is that it blows the cover off government contentions that its drug war is protecting the population. The plaintive open letter to the drug cartels is a scathing indictment of government action--and inaction--in a region in deep crisis.
El Diario lashes out against the "vacuum of power" in Ciudad Juarez and the lack of protection for journalists. It goes further, and exposes CalderĆ³n's drug war, from the epicenter of the most militarized--and most insecure--part of the country.
"Over the past years, the history is well-known: to obtain the legitimacy he did not receive in the polls, the president thrust us into a war on organized crime--without an adequate strategy, without knowing the true dimensions of the enemy, or the consequences that this confrontation would have for the country.
"Unwittingly stuck in the middle of the conflict, Mexicans--and especially Juarez residents-- have been at the mercy of erroneous decisions that ended up sweeping them up, with results that are well-known and abhorred by the majority.
"The government as a protector of the human rights of its citizens, and by extension of media workers--has been absent during these years of warring, even thoughit has offered a pretence of action through varios maneuvers that in practice have been gigantic failures," the editorial asserts.
Government reaction was swift. Broadsided by an expression of public indignation over its core security strategy, the federal government launched a counter-attack. Calderon security advisor Alejandro PoirƩ issued a patriarchal scolding to the newspaper for proposing a truce with cartels, stating that "no-one has the right to pact, promote or a truce or negotiate with the criminals who are the ones that cause anxiety amongst the population, kidnap, extort, assassinate and poison the population..." He added the oft-repeated refrain that the commitment of all should be to "combat and defeat them definitively."
Then, adding insult to injury, PoirƩ announced his opinion on Sept. 20 that the murder of the El Diario photographer was related to "personal motives" and stated that there are no indications of "participation for motives of freedom of expression."
The El Diario staff called Poire's speculation "premature" and demanded a full investigation, saying it would not accept any attempt by the government to present scapegoats or wash its hands of the affair. The paper noted that the government's theory that the crime was personal is highly doubtful, since its photograher, Luis Carlos Santiago, was shot at nine times and his colleague pursued by the attackers. Also a warning note, typical of targeted hits, was left near the crime site. Reporters without Borders notes that this is the eleventh reporter murdered this year in Mexico.
Pedro Torres, the editorial director of El Diario, also reacted angrily to the accusations that the paper was acquiescing to coercion. In an interview with the Mexican daily La Jornada, he stated, "The utter lack of results in the fight against organized crime gives the federal government no moral authority to question the efforts of El Diario to stop the attacks on our reporters on the border."
Violence and impunity go hand in hand in creating the crisis in Ciudad Juarez. The drug cartels are directly responsible for the former; the Mexican government is wholly responsible for the latter and for the failure of a strategy that the U.S continues to blindly support.
Laura Carlsen
It's worthwhile reading the whole editorial (translated to English by a blogger here, Spanish original here), because it will be no doubt be considered a classic by historians of Mexico's tragically self-defeating drug war. The editorial was written by a staff that has seen two of its reporters murdered in the past two years, the last one on Sept. 16. Many others have been wounded or received threats.
It's not surprising then, that the paper begins its editorial--an open letter to drug cartels titled "What Do You Want From Us?"--in a tone of desperation.
"We're communicators, not mind-readers... explain to us what you're trying to get us to publish and not publish so we can know how to adjust... We don't want to see more dead. We don't want to see more wounded nor do we want to be intimidated. It is impossible for us to do our job under these conditions. Tell us, then, what you expect from us, as a newspaper?"
The editorial goes on to justify its direct appeal to the cartels by bluntly describing the situation of power in Ciudad Juarez, "You [the drug cartels] are, at this time, the de facto authorities in this city, because the legally mandated institutions have not been able to do anything to keep our colleagues from being murdered, even though we have repeatedly demanded action from them."
The frustration expressed by the newspaper comes from experience--the murder of an El Diario reporter in 2008 shows no signs of ever being solved by officials. Its reporters are at risk on a daily basis, with no effective protection mechanisms in place.
Many news media, including AP reported the story as the latest expression of self-censorship in the face of cartel coercion. But the New York Times and the Washington Post articles correctly note that El Diario has no intention of muzzling itself.
The real significance of El Diario's remarkable editorial is that it blows the cover off government contentions that its drug war is protecting the population. The plaintive open letter to the drug cartels is a scathing indictment of government action--and inaction--in a region in deep crisis.
El Diario lashes out against the "vacuum of power" in Ciudad Juarez and the lack of protection for journalists. It goes further, and exposes CalderĆ³n's drug war, from the epicenter of the most militarized--and most insecure--part of the country.
"Over the past years, the history is well-known: to obtain the legitimacy he did not receive in the polls, the president thrust us into a war on organized crime--without an adequate strategy, without knowing the true dimensions of the enemy, or the consequences that this confrontation would have for the country.
"Unwittingly stuck in the middle of the conflict, Mexicans--and especially Juarez residents-- have been at the mercy of erroneous decisions that ended up sweeping them up, with results that are well-known and abhorred by the majority.
"The government as a protector of the human rights of its citizens, and by extension of media workers--has been absent during these years of warring, even thoughit has offered a pretence of action through varios maneuvers that in practice have been gigantic failures," the editorial asserts.
Government reaction was swift. Broadsided by an expression of public indignation over its core security strategy, the federal government launched a counter-attack. Calderon security advisor Alejandro PoirƩ issued a patriarchal scolding to the newspaper for proposing a truce with cartels, stating that "no-one has the right to pact, promote or a truce or negotiate with the criminals who are the ones that cause anxiety amongst the population, kidnap, extort, assassinate and poison the population..." He added the oft-repeated refrain that the commitment of all should be to "combat and defeat them definitively."
Then, adding insult to injury, PoirƩ announced his opinion on Sept. 20 that the murder of the El Diario photographer was related to "personal motives" and stated that there are no indications of "participation for motives of freedom of expression."
The El Diario staff called Poire's speculation "premature" and demanded a full investigation, saying it would not accept any attempt by the government to present scapegoats or wash its hands of the affair. The paper noted that the government's theory that the crime was personal is highly doubtful, since its photograher, Luis Carlos Santiago, was shot at nine times and his colleague pursued by the attackers. Also a warning note, typical of targeted hits, was left near the crime site. Reporters without Borders notes that this is the eleventh reporter murdered this year in Mexico.
Pedro Torres, the editorial director of El Diario, also reacted angrily to the accusations that the paper was acquiescing to coercion. In an interview with the Mexican daily La Jornada, he stated, "The utter lack of results in the fight against organized crime gives the federal government no moral authority to question the efforts of El Diario to stop the attacks on our reporters on the border."
Violence and impunity go hand in hand in creating the crisis in Ciudad Juarez. The drug cartels are directly responsible for the former; the Mexican government is wholly responsible for the latter and for the failure of a strategy that the U.S continues to blindly support.
Laura Carlsen
Collateral Damage: US worries for Mexico press freedom
Isn't this just so sweet of our government?! Now, how about ending the war?
US worries for Mexico press freedom: The United States on Tuesday voiced concern for the safety of Mexican journalists in the country's bloody drug war after a reporter said he was granted asylum by US authorities. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, "'We have expressed our concerns about the safety of journalists to the Mexican government, which has in fact stated its commitment to protecting journalists and the freedom of the press,' Toner said." Sept. 21, 2010, AFP
US worries for Mexico press freedom: The United States on Tuesday voiced concern for the safety of Mexican journalists in the country's bloody drug war after a reporter said he was granted asylum by US authorities. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, "'We have expressed our concerns about the safety of journalists to the Mexican government, which has in fact stated its commitment to protecting journalists and the freedom of the press,' Toner said." Sept. 21, 2010, AFP
Immigration Reality: Immigrant Labor Improves Job Prospects For the Native Born
Should those who believe otherwise care to listen, here is an analysis of the beneficial economic facts of immigration, .
Immigrant Labor Improves Job Prospects For the Native Born | AlterNet: Recently, economist Giovanni Peri -- an associate professor at the University of California, Davis and visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco -- wrote a paper for the Fed summarizing recent research in immigration economics. Evaluating the data, Peri concluded that, “on net, immigrants expand the U.S. economy’s productive capacity, stimulate investment, and promote specialization that in the long run boosts productivity. Consistent with previous research, there is no evidence that these effects take place at the expense of jobs for workers born in the United States.” Sept. 21, 2010
Immigrant Labor Improves Job Prospects For the Native Born | AlterNet: Recently, economist Giovanni Peri -- an associate professor at the University of California, Davis and visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco -- wrote a paper for the Fed summarizing recent research in immigration economics. Evaluating the data, Peri concluded that, “on net, immigrants expand the U.S. economy’s productive capacity, stimulate investment, and promote specialization that in the long run boosts productivity. Consistent with previous research, there is no evidence that these effects take place at the expense of jobs for workers born in the United States.” Sept. 21, 2010
Collateral Damage: Colby College to Recognize Alfredo Corchado From the Dallas Morning News for Coverage... -- WATERVILLE, Maine, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ --
Colby College to Recognize Alfredo Corchado From the Dallas Morning News for Coverage... -- PRNewswire/ --: "Colby College has announced that Alfredo Corchado, Mexico Bureau Chief for the Dallas Morning News, will receive the 2010 Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award for courageous journalism. The convocation is scheduled for Sunday, September 26, 2010, at 5 p.m. in Lorimer Chapel on the Colby College campus.
"It's never been more dangerous to practice journalism in Mexico," Corchado said. "Journalists have been kidnapped, co-opted, disappeared and killed. It's not just the lives of journalists at stake here, but freedom of expression, a key pillar for any functioning democracy." Corchado said he would accept the Lovejoy award "in the memory of many courageous Mexican colleagues, and dedicate it to those who continue to risk their lives to document one of the most important stories of our time."" Sept 21, 2010
"It's never been more dangerous to practice journalism in Mexico," Corchado said. "Journalists have been kidnapped, co-opted, disappeared and killed. It's not just the lives of journalists at stake here, but freedom of expression, a key pillar for any functioning democracy." Corchado said he would accept the Lovejoy award "in the memory of many courageous Mexican colleagues, and dedicate it to those who continue to risk their lives to document one of the most important stories of our time."" Sept 21, 2010
Weapons Traffic: U.S. bid to block weapons to Mexico misfires
Once again, there is a big discrepancy between what the government announces publicly (see this aritcle's review of yesterday's ATF announcement of its successes) and the actual facts. This is more evidence that the U.S government can't even competently fight the "whack-a-mole" war it should not be fighting in the first place.
Whack-a-mole: Mexico rejects drug war truce
We put two articles side-by-side to highlight the insanity of the Calderon government's "whack-a-mole" drug war strategy. To paraphrase Shakespeare, "Me thinks he doeth protest too much!"
Note also that one of the stories is published in a Singapore newspaper. The world is watching Mexico. This blog has many readers from Europe, including Russia and the Ukraine, and from Asia. South Koreans pay many visits to the site.
Mexico rejects drug war truce: "President Felipe Calderon's spokesman for security matters insisted there could be no negotations with criminals after a Ciudad Juarez-based newspaper said it regarded the drug lords as the northern city's effective rulers." Sept. 21, 2010, Singapore Press Straits Times
Sacramento's Mexican consul vows victory in drug war - Sacramento Bee: The Mexican government "will win the war" against the brutal, violent drug cartels that have ravaged the country, the consul general of Mexico in Sacramento, Carlos GonzƔlez GutiƩrrez, told a California State University, Sacramento, audience Monday. Sept. 21, 2010
Note also that one of the stories is published in a Singapore newspaper. The world is watching Mexico. This blog has many readers from Europe, including Russia and the Ukraine, and from Asia. South Koreans pay many visits to the site.
Mexico rejects drug war truce: "President Felipe Calderon's spokesman for security matters insisted there could be no negotations with criminals after a Ciudad Juarez-based newspaper said it regarded the drug lords as the northern city's effective rulers." Sept. 21, 2010, Singapore Press Straits Times
Sacramento's Mexican consul vows victory in drug war - Sacramento Bee: The Mexican government "will win the war" against the brutal, violent drug cartels that have ravaged the country, the consul general of Mexico in Sacramento, Carlos GonzƔlez GutiƩrrez, told a California State University, Sacramento, audience Monday. Sept. 21, 2010
Sep 20, 2010
MexicoBlog Editorial: Setting the Record Straight on "Legal" Immigration
The issue of immigration, especially Mexican and Latin American immigration into the United States, is currently extremely contentious. Frequently opponents of proposals that would enable “illegal” or undocumented immigrants to obtain legal status make assertions such as, “My ancestors came here legally – through Ellis Island - and earned their citizenship, so these 'illegal aliens' should have to go back home and then get in line to come legally.” Such claims show a lack of knowledge both of the actual history of U.S. immigration law and of the history of U.S. use and abuse of Mexican migrant laborers. We want to set the record straight.
For a century after the founding of the United States, until after the Civil War, there were no laws regulating or restricting immigration into the country. Anyone, from anywhere (African captives excepted) who could find his way to the country was able to enter and start a new life. With industrialization and shifts in immigration patterns after the Civil War, this all changed. The history of the U.S. immigration legislation which followed these changes is not pretty. It is essentially one of seeking to exclude “undesirables,” and restrict the entrance of those who were not white, Protestant Europeans. It is racist.
The first immigration laws, enacted between 1875 and 1917, were designed to exclude Chinese and other Asian immigrant laborers. Other laws, passed in 1882 and 1892, excluded "convicts, idiots, the insane and those who might become public charges." The federal immigration station on Ellis Island was constructed in 1892 to enable the evaluation of immigrants from Europe according to these public safety and health criteria. Over twelve million were admitted in a little over thirty years. About two percent were rejected. But no one from Europe was prohibited from entering the United States because of national origin, ethnicity or religion.
This free flow came to a virtual end in the 1920's. Because of the large migrations of southern (Italian Catholic) and eastern (Jewish and Slavic Catholic) Europeans beginning in the 1890's, fear grew among Protestants that they would be overwhelmed by these aliens. Thus, in 1921, Congress passed the Emergency Quota Act and, in 1924, a permanent Immigration Act that, for the first time, set an annual limit to immigration (150,000) and established a national quota system which, after a transition period ending in 1929, limited each sending country to a percentage equal to its percentage of nationals in the U.S. population in 1920. Persons seeking to emmigrate to the U.S. now had to obtain a coveted visa in their home country. They could no longer just show up at the door at Ellis Island and seek admission to the U.S.. At this point, Ellis Island ceased to be used as a regular immigration station.
It is this national quota system which prevented the immigration of most Jews and other refugees fleeing the Nazis during World War II. The system was modified in 1952, but not eliminated until 1965, when hemispheric quotas were established. It is only after this change that immigration from Asia and Latin America increased substantially.
So to those who say, "My ancestors came here legally, through Ellis Island," the correct response is, "I am glad, as I am sure you are, that they were not convicts, idiots or insane."
This editorial will be followed by one on the history of Mexican migration. A fuller account of all of this is available on our page, History of U.S. Immigration Laws and Mexican Migration
This editorial will be followed by one on the history of Mexican migration. A fuller account of all of this is available on our page, History of U.S. Immigration Laws and Mexican Migration
Immigration Politics: Utah Paper’s Stance on Immigrants Causes Clash
Politics and religion sometimes make strange bedfellows. In this case, self-interest makes for more rational thought.
Utah Paper’s Stance on Immigrants Causes Clash - NYTimes.com: "The News’s push for a more liberal embrace of undocumented immigrants has led to a collision between its editorial mission and its conservative, mostly Mormon, readers. But if this issue seems to stray from the reliably conservative politics of The News, that may be in part because it is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Hispanics are the most populous minority group in the country — and they represent a vast potential constituency for the Mormon church"Sept. 19, 2010
Utah Paper’s Stance on Immigrants Causes Clash - NYTimes.com: "The News’s push for a more liberal embrace of undocumented immigrants has led to a collision between its editorial mission and its conservative, mostly Mormon, readers. But if this issue seems to stray from the reliably conservative politics of The News, that may be in part because it is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Hispanics are the most populous minority group in the country — and they represent a vast potential constituency for the Mormon church"Sept. 19, 2010
Legalization: Editorial: Losing a costly 'war"
Hurrah! A newspaper in Pensacola, Florida, weighs in on the failed drug war and the need to consider legalization. The editorial quotes much from the recent column by Mary O'Grady of the Wall Steet Journal.
Editorial: Losing a costly 'war" | pnj.com | Pensacola News Journal: "Drug prohibition is not just destabilizing Mexico, it is encroaching on the United States. As the corruption and violence surge against our border, the urgency rises for a national debate on drug legalization." Sept. 20, 2010
Editorial: Losing a costly 'war" | pnj.com | Pensacola News Journal: "Drug prohibition is not just destabilizing Mexico, it is encroaching on the United States. As the corruption and violence surge against our border, the urgency rises for a national debate on drug legalization." Sept. 20, 2010
Sep 19, 2010
Collateral Damage: Mexico border newspaper seeks truce with cartels
The surrender of a free press is a very sad outcome of the war on drugs.
The Associated Press: Mexico border newspaper seeks truce with cartels: "In a front-page editorial, El Diario de Juarez asked the cartels what they want from the newspaper so it can continue its work without further death, injury or intimidation of its staff. "We ask you to explain what you want from us, what we should try to publish or not publish, so we know what to expect."" Sept. 19, 2010
The Associated Press: Mexico border newspaper seeks truce with cartels: "In a front-page editorial, El Diario de Juarez asked the cartels what they want from the newspaper so it can continue its work without further death, injury or intimidation of its staff. "We ask you to explain what you want from us, what we should try to publish or not publish, so we know what to expect."" Sept. 19, 2010
Sep 18, 2010
Legalization: Alcohol Lobby Now Openly Spending Against CA's Legal Pot Initiative in Alliance with Police Industrial Complex
Alcohol Lobby Now Openly Spending Against CA's Legal Pot Initiative in Alliance with Police Industrial Complex | | AlterNet: "It is said that politics makes strange bedfellows, but there are arguably few stranger than the emerging alliance between two of California's most powerful political players: the police-industrial complex and Big Alcohol. Campaign finance reports from the Golden State disclose that the California Beer and Beverage Distributors -- a trade organization that represents over 100 beer distributors statewide -- is one of the primary backers of the lobby group Public Safety First, sponsors of the No on Prop. 19 campaign." Sept. 17, 2010
Sep 17, 2010
Immigration Politics: Global Forums to Focus on Abuses Against Undocumented Immigrants
MEXICO: Global Forums to Focus on Abuses Against Undocumented Immigrants - IPS ipsnews.net: "Civil society organisations from around the world are revving up to reveal how governments violate the rights of immigrants, especially the United States and Mexico, in two international meetings to take place in Mexico.
The first is the Alternative Global Forum of Peoples in Movement, Nov. 2-5 in the Mexican capital, where participants will present the situations of migrants around the world and proposals for dealing with the problems they face.
Almost at the same time, Peoples' Global Action on Migration, Development and Human Rights (PGA) is meeting in the context of the 4th Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), and will take place Nov. 3-5 in the Pacific coastal city of Puerto Vallarta, 890 kilometres west of Mexico City. " Sept. 17, 2010
The first is the Alternative Global Forum of Peoples in Movement, Nov. 2-5 in the Mexican capital, where participants will present the situations of migrants around the world and proposals for dealing with the problems they face.
Almost at the same time, Peoples' Global Action on Migration, Development and Human Rights (PGA) is meeting in the context of the 4th Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), and will take place Nov. 3-5 in the Pacific coastal city of Puerto Vallarta, 890 kilometres west of Mexico City. " Sept. 17, 2010
Whack-a-mole: Narcotrafficking in Mexico: Neoliberalism and a Militarized State
Narcotrafficking in Mexico: Neoliberalism and a Militarized State: In an interview with La Jornada MichoacƔn, Daniela Morales talks to British academic, Peter Watt, who argues that neoliberal policies and the war on Mexican drug cartels are part of the same project; to maintain a weak democracy and a militarized state with the purpose of preserving the economic and political control of the United States in the region. Sept. 17, 2010, Upsidedownworld.org An article translated from La Jornada
Immigration Politics: Crisis Sparked by Migrant Massacre Spurs Demands for In-depth Changes - IPS ipsnews.net
MIGRATION-MEXICO: Crisis Sparked by Massacre Spurs Demands for In-depth Changes - IPS ipsnews.net: "Organisations working for the rights of undocumented immigrants are using the crisis triggered by the massacre of 72 migrants a few weeks ago near the U.S. border to press for in-depth changes in Mexico.
"The migration authorities do not have a human rights perspective, and their position is inconsistent with the reality of migration in this country," Diana MartĆnez, assistant coordinator of advocacy at Sin Fronteras, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that promotes the rights of migrants and provides them with legal advice, told IPS. " Sept. 16, 2010.
Whack-a-mole Report: Illegal drug use up sharply last year
The facts are in. Marijuana use is up, despite all the expenditure, imprisonment and loss of life of the "whack-a-mole" "War on Drugs." Yet the Obama administration continues its insane logic.
Report: Illegal drug use up sharply last year - The Associated Press: The rate of illegal drug use rose last year to the highest level in nearly a decade, fueled by a sharp increase in marijuana use and a surge in ecstasy and methamphetamine abuse, the government reported Wednesday.
Gil Kerlikowske, the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, called the 9 percent increase in drug use disappointing but said he was not surprised given "eroding attitudes" about the perception of harm from illegal drugs and the growing number of states approving medicinal marijuana. "I think all of the attention and the focus of calling marijuana medicine has sent the absolute wrong message to our young people," Kerlikowske said in an interview.
Report: Illegal drug use up sharply last year - The Associated Press: The rate of illegal drug use rose last year to the highest level in nearly a decade, fueled by a sharp increase in marijuana use and a surge in ecstasy and methamphetamine abuse, the government reported Wednesday.
Gil Kerlikowske, the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, called the 9 percent increase in drug use disappointing but said he was not surprised given "eroding attitudes" about the perception of harm from illegal drugs and the growing number of states approving medicinal marijuana. "I think all of the attention and the focus of calling marijuana medicine has sent the absolute wrong message to our young people," Kerlikowske said in an interview.
Mike Meno, a spokesman for the pro-legalization Marijuana Policy Project, said the survey is more proof that the government's war on marijuana has failed in spite of decades of enforcement efforts and arrests. Sept. 16, 2010
Collateral Damage: News photographer killed in Mexican border city
Tragically, the drug war kills another newsman and further undermines freedom of the press in Mexico.
News photographer killed in Mexican border city,The Associated Press: Gunmen attacked two newspaper photographers Thursday in the drug war-torn border city of Ciudad Juarez, killing one and seriously wounding the other. Luis Carlos Santiago and Carlos Sanchez, of the Diario de Juarez, were driving to lunch when gunmen in two cars intercepted them and opened fire, newspaper director Pedro Torres told The Associated Press. Sept. 17, 2010
News photographer killed in Mexican border city,The Associated Press: Gunmen attacked two newspaper photographers Thursday in the drug war-torn border city of Ciudad Juarez, killing one and seriously wounding the other. Luis Carlos Santiago and Carlos Sanchez, of the Diario de Juarez, were driving to lunch when gunmen in two cars intercepted them and opened fire, newspaper director Pedro Torres told The Associated Press. Sept. 17, 2010
Whack-a-mole: U.S. should help Mexico by ending 'war on drugs' and easy weapons supply | Seattle Times Newspaper
Here is a clear argument for the U.S. ending its "whack-a-mole" war on drugs and controlling the sale of asssult weapoons in order to help Mexico.
U.S. should help Mexico by ending 'war on drugs' and easy weapons supply | Seattle Times Newspaper. It is tempting to turn our gaze away from the news of mayhem and sadistic acts of violence coming out of Mexico. But we must not, and cannot afford to, turn away. The well-being of Mexico is vital to the well-being of the United States. We are neighbors and economic partners who share a continent and a common destiny. Any effective prescription to pull Mexico back from the abyss will require cooperation — as well as introspection and substantive policy changes — from the United States.
The U.S. should openly join the conversation on strategic and selective decriminalization of drugs like marijuana and impose strict controls on gun sales along the U.S. side of our common border. Clearly, most of Mexico's problems need to be solved in Mexico, by Mexicans, but these are two crucial steps we can take on our side of the border to reduce the flow of money and guns fueling Mexico's drug mafias. This one-two punch would deliver a damaging blow to the criminal organizations terrorizing Mexico. Sept. 16, 2010, OpEd by Ted Lewis, Director of the Mexico Program of Global Exchange.
U.S. should help Mexico by ending 'war on drugs' and easy weapons supply | Seattle Times Newspaper. It is tempting to turn our gaze away from the news of mayhem and sadistic acts of violence coming out of Mexico. But we must not, and cannot afford to, turn away. The well-being of Mexico is vital to the well-being of the United States. We are neighbors and economic partners who share a continent and a common destiny. Any effective prescription to pull Mexico back from the abyss will require cooperation — as well as introspection and substantive policy changes — from the United States.
The U.S. should openly join the conversation on strategic and selective decriminalization of drugs like marijuana and impose strict controls on gun sales along the U.S. side of our common border. Clearly, most of Mexico's problems need to be solved in Mexico, by Mexicans, but these are two crucial steps we can take on our side of the border to reduce the flow of money and guns fueling Mexico's drug mafias. This one-two punch would deliver a damaging blow to the criminal organizations terrorizing Mexico. Sept. 16, 2010, OpEd by Ted Lewis, Director of the Mexico Program of Global Exchange.
Sep 16, 2010
Collateral Damage: Mexico's Drug War Impacts Business
One wonders: if U.S. business is affected by the drug war in Mexico, will that lead to any pressures on the government to change its current policy?
Mexico's Drug War Impacts Business: "Since Mexico became a manufacturing mecca thanks, in part, to its inexpensive labor and proximity to the massive U.S. market. But there is a new reality on the ground in that country these days: a surge in violence tied to the war on drug cartels. "A failure to attract new capital is a major risk," warns Wharton marketing professor Jerry Wind, director of the SEI Center for Advanced Studies in Management. "If [the violence] continues, a lot of talented people might leave the country." Sept. 16, 2010 Latin Business Chronicle
Mexico's Drug War Impacts Business: "Since Mexico became a manufacturing mecca thanks, in part, to its inexpensive labor and proximity to the massive U.S. market. But there is a new reality on the ground in that country these days: a surge in violence tied to the war on drug cartels. "A failure to attract new capital is a major risk," warns Wharton marketing professor Jerry Wind, director of the SEI Center for Advanced Studies in Management. "If [the violence] continues, a lot of talented people might leave the country." Sept. 16, 2010 Latin Business Chronicle
Immigration Reality: Mexico’s influence on life in San Diego County
The city of San Diego reflects on its Mexican heritage. Another nice story on the inter-relationships of the U.S. and Mexico along the border that is now so contentious.
Immigration Crackdown: US-Mexico border wall a costly failure, film says
US-Mexico border wall a costly failure, film says: "Washington's plan to build a fence on the border with Mexico has cost $3 billion and has not deterred illegal immigrants or drug traffickers from entering the country, according to a new U.S. documentary.
"The Fence" hopes to show Americans, who were divided when construction of the wall was approved in 2006, that the venture is a failure as conceived and a blemish upon the United States internationally." Sept. 15, 2010, Reuters
"The Fence" hopes to show Americans, who were divided when construction of the wall was approved in 2006, that the venture is a failure as conceived and a blemish upon the United States internationally." Sept. 15, 2010, Reuters
Immigration Crackdown: What do these two federal programs have in common?
What do these two federal programs have in common? : "USA Today reports that a federal program that trains and deputizes police to act as immigration agents is losing esteem among police officers. The program, called 287(g), was implemented in 2002, and aimed at catching and deporting criminal aliens from the US. Since then, a series of investigative reports by the New York Times found that the program ended up picking up mostly non-violent criminals and posed civil rights questions. This year, only one new district has signed onto the program so far." Sept. 15, 2010, KALW, the NPR station for the San Francisco area/USA Today
Immigration Politics: Obama: I'm not walking away from immigration reform
As a former psychotherapist, this editor always has doubts when someone, especially a politician, has to assert that they are "not" going to do something.
Obama: I'm not walking away from immigration reform | Reuters: "'Now, I know that many of you campaigned hard for me, and understandably you're frustrated that we have not been able to move this over the finish line yet. I am too,' he told a gala dinner for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, referring to immigration reform.
'But let me be clear: I will not walk away from this fight. My commitment is getting this done as soon as we can. We can't keep kicking this challenge down the road.'" Sept. 15, 2010
Obama: I'm not walking away from immigration reform | Reuters: "'Now, I know that many of you campaigned hard for me, and understandably you're frustrated that we have not been able to move this over the finish line yet. I am too,' he told a gala dinner for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, referring to immigration reform.
'But let me be clear: I will not walk away from this fight. My commitment is getting this done as soon as we can. We can't keep kicking this challenge down the road.'" Sept. 15, 2010
U.S.-Mexico Relations: 200 years after its birth, Mexico maintains complicated relationship with U.S.
Here is a very nice, human, sane perspective on Mexico, the drug trade, migration and the relationships that some people in the San Gabriel Valley of southern California have with their Mexican neigbors.
200 years after its birth, Mexico maintains complicated relationship with U.S. - SGVTribune.com: " Many Mexico's problems can be traced directly to the United States, which fuels the drug trade through its consumption and bears responsibility for its failed interdiction policy, said Roderic Ai Camp, a professor of Mexican politics at Claremont McKenna College.
"It has to come from Congress to solve these problems," said Camp, who has studied the issue as part of a panel at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. "It wasn't until recently ... that we've said a good part of the problem is ours."
Mexican leaders know they have to rely on the U.S. to curb the drug trade, so they have few options while struggling with corruption and their own population's growing drug addiction, Camp said." Sept. 15, 2020, San Gabriel Valley (California) Tribune
200 years after its birth, Mexico maintains complicated relationship with U.S. - SGVTribune.com: " Many Mexico's problems can be traced directly to the United States, which fuels the drug trade through its consumption and bears responsibility for its failed interdiction policy, said Roderic Ai Camp, a professor of Mexican politics at Claremont McKenna College.
"It has to come from Congress to solve these problems," said Camp, who has studied the issue as part of a panel at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. "It wasn't until recently ... that we've said a good part of the problem is ours."
Mexican leaders know they have to rely on the U.S. to curb the drug trade, so they have few options while struggling with corruption and their own population's growing drug addiction, Camp said." Sept. 15, 2020, San Gabriel Valley (California) Tribune
Sep 15, 2010
Immigration Legislation: Velazquez, Menendez and Gutierrez on Immigration Reform
Velazquez, Menendez and Gutierrez on Immigration Reform - The Washington Independent: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s promise to add the DREAM Act to the defense authorization bill is good news for immigration reform advocates, but some lawmakers are pressing for more work to be done on immigration issues. Today Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.), along with Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), said she will not stop until Congress passes additional reform of the immigration system. Sept. 15, 2010, Washington Independent
Immigration Legislation: Gutierrez meeting with Obama to discuss immigration reform strategy
Go for it!
Gutierrez meeting with Obama to discuss immigration reform strategy: Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL) will be joined by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Rep. Nydia VelƔzquez (D-NY) at the White House for a meeting with President Barack Obama scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET on Thursday. They plan to discuss immigration reform strategy and the plan the three Members of Congress laid out today at a Capital Hill rally. The plan includes a vote in the coming weeks in the Senate on the DREAM Act immigration bill, the introduction of a Senate comprehensive immigration reform bill, a call for a halt to the deportation of non-criminal immigrants, and changes to federal policy related to state and local police enforcement of civil immigration law. Sept. 15, 2010, Chicago Sun-Times
Gutierrez meeting with Obama to discuss immigration reform strategy: Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL) will be joined by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Rep. Nydia VelƔzquez (D-NY) at the White House for a meeting with President Barack Obama scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET on Thursday. They plan to discuss immigration reform strategy and the plan the three Members of Congress laid out today at a Capital Hill rally. The plan includes a vote in the coming weeks in the Senate on the DREAM Act immigration bill, the introduction of a Senate comprehensive immigration reform bill, a call for a halt to the deportation of non-criminal immigrants, and changes to federal policy related to state and local police enforcement of civil immigration law. Sept. 15, 2010, Chicago Sun-Times
Globalization & Mexico Politics: Experts Denounce Slant in Corn Subsidies
MEXICO: Experts Denounce Slant in Corn Subsidies - IPS ipsnews.net: "The Mexican government's subsidies for corn (maize) production since 1994 have benefitted large- and medium-scale growers, to the detriment of small farmers, according to a new study by Mexican and U.S. researchers."
Collateral Damage: Congress Withholds Funds for Mexico Tied to Human Rights Performance
Here is a statement calling upon the U.S. Congress to withhold Merida Initiatve funds from Mexico, based on its not meeting human rights conditions set forth in the legisilation. The groups issuing the statement includie Mexcian ones. The groups are Amnesty International USA, Human Rights Watch, Latin America Working Group Education Fund, Washington Office on Latin America, ComisiĆ³n Mexicana de Defensa y PromociĆ³n de los Derechos Humanos, Fundar, Centro de AnĆ”lisis e InvestigaciĆ³n, The Miguel AgustĆn Pro JuĆ”rez Human Rights Center, Monitor Civil de la PolicĆa en Guerrero and the Tlachinollan Human Right Center
Congress: Withhold Funds for Mexico Tied to Human Rights Performance: "Research conducted by our respective organizations, Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission, and even the State Department’s own reports, demonstrates conclusively that Mexico has failed to meet the four human rights requirements set out by law. As a result, Congress should not release these select Merida funds. Releasing these funds would send the message that the United States condones the grave human rights violations committed in Mexico, including torture, rape, killings, and enforced disappearances.
We recognize that Mexico is facing a severe public security crisis, and that the United States can play a constructive role in strengthening Mexico's ability to confront organized crime in an effective manner. However, human rights violations committed by Mexican security forces are not only deplorable in their own right, but also significantly undermine the effectiveness of Mexico’s public security efforts. Sept. 14, 2010
We recognize that Mexico is facing a severe public security crisis, and that the United States can play a constructive role in strengthening Mexico's ability to confront organized crime in an effective manner. However, human rights violations committed by Mexican security forces are not only deplorable in their own right, but also significantly undermine the effectiveness of Mexico’s public security efforts. Sept. 14, 2010
Whack-a-mole: In Mexico, a War Every Century
Tonight two hundred years of Independence is celebrated all over Mexico with the grito, "¡Viva MĆ©xico!" Here a Mexican author gives a brief review of Mexico´s bloody history of wars, leading up to the current "war on drugs." He expresses the faith and the fears of his fellow Mexicans.
In Mexico, a War Every Century - NYTimes.com: "Many of us want to believe that we are living through a nightmare from which, one morning, we will simply wake up, once again at ease.
But this is not the way things are. We are dealing with a situation generated, to a great extent, by the market for drugs and weapons in the United States and by the refusal of many Americans to recognize their own portion of responsibility in these tragic events. The drug war will have to be resolved on both sides of the border." Sept. 15, 2010, OpEd by Enrique Krauze, the editor of the magazine Letras Libres and the author of “Mexico: Biography of Power.”
In Mexico, a War Every Century - NYTimes.com: "Many of us want to believe that we are living through a nightmare from which, one morning, we will simply wake up, once again at ease.
But this is not the way things are. We are dealing with a situation generated, to a great extent, by the market for drugs and weapons in the United States and by the refusal of many Americans to recognize their own portion of responsibility in these tragic events. The drug war will have to be resolved on both sides of the border." Sept. 15, 2010, OpEd by Enrique Krauze, the editor of the magazine Letras Libres and the author of “Mexico: Biography of Power.”
Immigration Crackdown and Whack-a-mole: Another Wall Blocks Route to U.S.
More walls, more insanity. Father Pellizari, quoted below, hits the proverbial nail right on the head.
Another Wall Blocks Route to U.S. - IPS ipsnews.net:According to the head of customs for Mexico's tax administration, RaĆŗl DĆaz, in order to stop boats carrying contraband, the southern Mexican state of Chiapas is building a wall along the border river Suchiate, similar to the one the United States is building along its southern border with Mexico.
"The dramatic increase in the cost of 'polleros' (human traffickers) and the corruption of the authorities is the result of the walls the United States plans to build and has built along the border. We can transpose the Guatemala case to this situation and the results will be the same," Catholic priest Francisco Pellizari, of the Casa del Migrante (Migrant House), told IPS.
According to the priest, walls are a "historic error" in many countries around the world, and have failed to resolve the problems associated with migration. "They are supposedly intended to halt migration, but that hasn't happened. Instead they have triggered an economic haemorrhage and a shift in the migratory flow to inhospitable routes that lead to thousands of deaths," he said. Sept. 15, 2010
Another Wall Blocks Route to U.S. - IPS ipsnews.net:According to the head of customs for Mexico's tax administration, RaĆŗl DĆaz, in order to stop boats carrying contraband, the southern Mexican state of Chiapas is building a wall along the border river Suchiate, similar to the one the United States is building along its southern border with Mexico.
"The dramatic increase in the cost of 'polleros' (human traffickers) and the corruption of the authorities is the result of the walls the United States plans to build and has built along the border. We can transpose the Guatemala case to this situation and the results will be the same," Catholic priest Francisco Pellizari, of the Casa del Migrante (Migrant House), told IPS.
According to the priest, walls are a "historic error" in many countries around the world, and have failed to resolve the problems associated with migration. "They are supposedly intended to halt migration, but that hasn't happened. Instead they have triggered an economic haemorrhage and a shift in the migratory flow to inhospitable routes that lead to thousands of deaths," he said. Sept. 15, 2010
Whack-a-mole: Mexican connection
This ABC is the Australian Broadcasting Company and the Mexican connection being reported on is to Australia. Let's hope our Aussie comrades are becoming aware of the international dimensions of the so-called "Mexican drug war." The U.S.'s prohibitionist stance has been imposed on the world through the U.N. drug conventions. This has created a world-wide hegemony of prohibition and, thus, a world-wide "war." See our page: Influence of the U.S. on U.N. Drug Policy
The 7.30 Report - ABC: "Australia's surge in cocaine use is being fuelled by highly sophisticated importations by one of the most brutal and powerful syndicates involved in Mexico's drug war - the Sinaloa Cartel.
Intelligence sources have told the ABC's 7.30 Report that around half the cocaine now entering these shores is coming from Mexico, and that the cartel driven by Mexico's most wanted man, "El Chapo" Guzman, has established a franchise here." Sept. 15, 2010
Sep 14, 2010
Immigration Crackdown: Border Patrol Program Raises Due Process Concerns : NPR
Here is a three-part series from NPR that takes an in-depth look at a little-known program that is pushing the boundaries of the American justice system along the U.S.-Mexico border: Operation Streamline. Each part can be accessed from the other two parts via links part way down the page on the left side.
Border Patrol Program Raises Due Process Concerns : NPR "Operation Streamline is an initiative that takes immigrants caught entering the United States illegally and pushes them through the federal courts at unheard-of speeds. They are often arraigned and counseled, plead and are convicted in a matter of hours.
These illegal immigrants are coming for jobs or to reunite with family — and have no other criminal background. Immigrants in these circumstances used to be returned voluntarily, or they went through the normal administrative deportation process. Now, they leave as convicted federal criminals.
The government says Operation Streamline is a success — it's a deterrent and a needed change from a "catch and release" policy. But its measures of success don't always hold up. And no one can tell how much it costs."
Claims Of Border Program Success Are Unproven : NPR "The Border Patrol says three measures prove Operation Streamline is a success. First, it says, few of those convicted try to cross the border again. Second, it points to the decrease in the total number of people being apprehended crossing illegally. And third, the government says Operation Streamline has allowed it to concentrate on more serious crime.
Marc Miller, a law professor at the University of Arizona specializing in criminal procedure and sentencing, doesn’t buy that argument. He says there's no way a misdemeanor conviction will deter significant numbers of people from crossing."If dying in the desert is not a deterrent, it's hard to imagine why spending no or little time in federal prison and being returned to your home country is a deterrent," Miller says. He doesn't even think giving Operation Streamline defendants the maximum sentence would matter. "I don't think six months would make a difference here, either. The drivers of immigration are economics, not sanctions," he says."
Border Convictions: High Stakes, Unknown Price : NPR: "No one knows how much Operation Streamline costs. The Border Patrol may not be spending anything extra on the program, but it hands off its prisoners to the U.S. Marshals Service, which is part of the Justice Department. That department and the federal courts have to provide transportation, housing, food, interpreters, defense attorneys, courtrooms, clerks and judges."
Sept. 13, 2010
Border Patrol Program Raises Due Process Concerns : NPR "Operation Streamline is an initiative that takes immigrants caught entering the United States illegally and pushes them through the federal courts at unheard-of speeds. They are often arraigned and counseled, plead and are convicted in a matter of hours.
These illegal immigrants are coming for jobs or to reunite with family — and have no other criminal background. Immigrants in these circumstances used to be returned voluntarily, or they went through the normal administrative deportation process. Now, they leave as convicted federal criminals.
The government says Operation Streamline is a success — it's a deterrent and a needed change from a "catch and release" policy. But its measures of success don't always hold up. And no one can tell how much it costs."
Claims Of Border Program Success Are Unproven : NPR "The Border Patrol says three measures prove Operation Streamline is a success. First, it says, few of those convicted try to cross the border again. Second, it points to the decrease in the total number of people being apprehended crossing illegally. And third, the government says Operation Streamline has allowed it to concentrate on more serious crime.
Marc Miller, a law professor at the University of Arizona specializing in criminal procedure and sentencing, doesn’t buy that argument. He says there's no way a misdemeanor conviction will deter significant numbers of people from crossing."If dying in the desert is not a deterrent, it's hard to imagine why spending no or little time in federal prison and being returned to your home country is a deterrent," Miller says. He doesn't even think giving Operation Streamline defendants the maximum sentence would matter. "I don't think six months would make a difference here, either. The drivers of immigration are economics, not sanctions," he says."
Border Convictions: High Stakes, Unknown Price : NPR: "No one knows how much Operation Streamline costs. The Border Patrol may not be spending anything extra on the program, but it hands off its prisoners to the U.S. Marshals Service, which is part of the Justice Department. That department and the federal courts have to provide transportation, housing, food, interpreters, defense attorneys, courtrooms, clerks and judges."
Sept. 13, 2010
Whack-a-mole: Border Patrol agents fire into Mexico during bust
With more incidents of gun fire across the border, we can only anticipate that some form of "border crisis" will occurr not far in the future.
Border Patrol agents fire into Mexico during bust:The Associated Press: U.S. Border Patrol agents fired gunshots into Mexico after coming under attack during a half-ton drug bust and giving chase to a truck along the Rio Grande, U.S. authorities said Monday.... No Border Patrol agents were hurt during the "fire fight" early Saturday in Mission, agency spokeswoman Rosalinda Huey said.... "The firing they received came from the Mexican side,"
Huey said several Border Patrol agents, at least some of whom were patrolling in boats, were seizing a half-ton of marijuana when they came under gunfire. Federal officials said the shots from Mexico began when a truck that was being chased by another group of Border Patrol agents entered the area. Sept. 13, 2010
Border Patrol agents fire into Mexico during bust:The Associated Press: U.S. Border Patrol agents fired gunshots into Mexico after coming under attack during a half-ton drug bust and giving chase to a truck along the Rio Grande, U.S. authorities said Monday.... No Border Patrol agents were hurt during the "fire fight" early Saturday in Mission, agency spokeswoman Rosalinda Huey said.... "The firing they received came from the Mexican side,"
Huey said several Border Patrol agents, at least some of whom were patrolling in boats, were seizing a half-ton of marijuana when they came under gunfire. Federal officials said the shots from Mexico began when a truck that was being chased by another group of Border Patrol agents entered the area. Sept. 13, 2010
Immigration Politics: Democrats want tougher immigration enforcement
Again a line from a sixties song comes to mind, "Where have all the flowers gone?"
Democrats want tougher immigration enforcement: "(In) a new Quinipiac poll regarding immigration ...a majority of respondents agree that children of illegal immigrants should not be granted birthright citizenship (48 percent to 45 percent). The pollsters (also) asked..: "Do you think immigration reform should primarily move in the direction of integrating illegal immigrants into American society or in the direction of stricter enforcement of laws against illegal immigration?"
Predictably among Republicans 87 percent favor stricer enforcement. The surprise comes among registered Democrats and independents who favor stricter enforcement by margins of 50 percent to 39 percent and 68 percent to 24 percent respectively. This means that...a majority of Democrats and more than two-thirds of independents want the Obama administration to focus on enforcement of the current immigration laws rather than trying to find ways of providing illegals with amnesty." Sept. 14, 2010, NY Post
Democrats want tougher immigration enforcement: "(In) a new Quinipiac poll regarding immigration ...a majority of respondents agree that children of illegal immigrants should not be granted birthright citizenship (48 percent to 45 percent). The pollsters (also) asked..: "Do you think immigration reform should primarily move in the direction of integrating illegal immigrants into American society or in the direction of stricter enforcement of laws against illegal immigration?"
Predictably among Republicans 87 percent favor stricer enforcement. The surprise comes among registered Democrats and independents who favor stricter enforcement by margins of 50 percent to 39 percent and 68 percent to 24 percent respectively. This means that...a majority of Democrats and more than two-thirds of independents want the Obama administration to focus on enforcement of the current immigration laws rather than trying to find ways of providing illegals with amnesty." Sept. 14, 2010, NY Post
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