The auditorium at the ITESO university was filled to capacity on the evening of September 2 as students, faculty, civil society leaders, and an international delegation from Loyola Marymount University gathered for the inauguration of Guadalajara’s new Clínica Jurídica de Migración Binacional (Binational Migration Legal Clinic). Applause broke out again and again as speakers underscored both the urgency of the moment and the hope embodied in this innovative cross-border initiative.
At the center of the stage, co-founder, former immigrant and Guadalajara native, now a law professor at Loyola, Marissa Montes stood out in a flowing blouse adorned with monarch butterflies — a quiet nod to the symbol of resilience and migration that would surface throughout the evening.
An urgent context
ITESO (Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente) Rector Alexander Zatyrka framed the project against the global and national crises of migration.
“In the last decade, there has been a drastic increase in migration flows around the world, driven by multiple factors such as poverty, the rise in conflicts and violence, political and economic instability, as well as the impact of climate change and natural disasters,” he said.
He noted that in 2024, more than 83 million people were displaced worldwide, nearly 9,000 of them dying along migration routes.
“What should be a journey towards dignity often becomes a journey of suffering, danger and even death,” he said, stressing that Mexico has seen many such tragedies unfold. For those who survive, the journey often ends in persecution, detention, and expulsion amid rising xenophobia worldwide.
Please login or subscribe to view the complete article.