Join the Latin America Working Group Education Fund
(LAWGEF), the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), and
Jesuit Refugee Service/USA (JRS) for
Human Rights in Transit: Confronting
the Humanitarian Crisis of Central American Migration
through Mexico
With presentations by
Alberto
Xicotencatl Carrasco
Director, Casa del Migrante,
Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico
Sister
Leticia Gutierrez Valderrama
Director General,
Scalibrinian Mission for Migrants and Refugees
Followed by traditional Mexican music
by
?Son Cosita Seria?
A growing number of Central American migrants
are fleeing poverty, violence, and insecurity in their home
countries only to be met with more violence and abuses _ such as
kidnapping, human trafficking, and extortion _ on their
northward journey through Mexico. Of particular concern, this
growing migrant flow increasingly includes unaccompanied minors
_- an estimated 60,000 or more unaccompanied youths are
projected to arrive at the U.S. southern border via Mexico in
2014, nearly a 3-fold increase from the last year, and a 10-fold
increase from the 2008-2011 yearly average.
Along the migrant path, organized crime groups, as
well as corrupt officials, seeking to diversify their income
have identified migrants in transit as a population that can be
targeted for profit with virtual impunity. The lack of
accountability for violence against migrants extends to those
who work to protect and shelter migrants, with migrant defenders
enduring a range of threats for their work including physical
attacks, death threats, and slander campaigns.
The Mexican government, with U.S. support, has
begun to implement a series of security initiatives along
Mexico?s southern border, including an increased presence of
federal security agencies. Given the history of abuse against
migrants by migration officials and municipal, state and federal
security agencies, additional border enforcement in southern
Mexico could have harmful human rights implications for migrants
in transit while doing nothing to address the root causes
spurring migration from Central America?s northern triangle.
To learn more about this growing
humanitarian crisis, and what authorities and advocates on both
sides of the border can do to address this situation, please
join us for a discussion with two inspiring migrant rights
defenders who work with national advocacy networks and migrant
rights organizations to protect the rights of vulnerable
migrants in transit in Mexico.
Please note that presentations will be in Spanish with English
interpretation provided.
If you have any questions,
please contact Emma Buckhout at ebuckhout@lawg.org.
To book an event at Busboys and Poets, call 202-332-6432.
