As the United States approaches its third week of government closure over the funding of Trump’s disputed U.S.-Mexico border wall, members of Democrats Abroad Lake Chapala Chapter warmly welcomed a leading human rights advocate from the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) on Monday, January 14.
Transmitted over Skype at La Bodega in Ajijic, Maureen Meyer gave an informative presentation about topics ranging from the ongoing exodus of Central American migrants, the continual need for U.S.-Mexico security cooperation, to assessments of Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s new presidency.
Meyer has served as WOLA’s Director on Mexico and Migrant Affairs with emphasis on security, organized crime-related violence, corruption and human rights for the past 12 years. The influential non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. began in 1974 following the U.S.-backed coup d’etat in Chile and subsequent human rights violations under Augusto Pinochet’s regime.
“WOLA was established as a way to bring the voices of partner organizations in the region to Washington to influence U.S. policy,” said Meyer, a native of Arizona who received her undergraduate degree in Anthropology and Spanish from the University of Arizona at Tucson during the start of NAFTA and the Zapatista uprising of the early 1990s.
Migration
With Mexico embracing the safe passage of migrants while the United States tries to prevent outsiders from entering altogether, one of Meyer’s primary assertions is that it’s only a matter of time until the country’s leaders overhaul and modernize its National Immigration Institute.
Over time, it will become easier for migrants to legally enter Mexico and obtain the proper documentation to stay, whether that entails receiving a humanitarian visa, proper work credentials, a border crossing card, etcetera. From this, it’s expected that migrants will face less adversity on the road, which comes as a relief to advocates such as Meyer.
“I think one of the key concerns that we’ve had for over a decade in Mexico is the widespread abuses against migrants in transit through Mexico, in terms of kidnappings, extortion, robbery and other attacks, often by criminal groups that at times are in collusion with Mexican authorities,” said Meyer. “We need to look at the migrant caravans that have traveled through Mexico. In part, people are traveling together because it’s safer than a migrant traveling by themselves or in small groups.”
In theory, more pathways for residency will limit the number of detentions while increasing Mexico’s capacity as a “receiving” country – both of which align with Lopez Obrador’s push for observing human rights. More economic opportunities will ideally prevent Central Americans from feeling forced to migrate in general.
Security
Another central theme of Meyer’s presentation revolved around heightened border security, particularly when it comes to counteracting organized crime and drug cartels. According to her, both the United States and Mexico recognize the importance of maintaining strong security provisions, hence the continuation of the Merida Initiative.
So far, the 2008 bilateral agreement has provided over $US2.9 billion of U.S. assistance to Mexico to boost security provisions, including improved training programs and hardware like helicopters and surveillance planes.
“I think one of the most important parts of the U.S.-Mexico partnership is that there are the strong cultural and economic ties between the two countries,” said Meyer, noting the economic dependence between cities along the border. “What we’ve seen in the past decade is both countries recognize that security cooperation is necessary for safety and for fully addressing organized crime that affects both countries,” such as the transportation of substances such as heroin and fentanyl – with the United States being the number one consumer of illicit drugs.
Lopez Obrador
Meyer also shared her perspectives of López Obrador’s administration, stating how the Morena representative inherited an array of institutional challenges centered around widespread violence, expansion of organized criminal groups from drug smuggling to gasoline theft and a culture of impunity.
“I think what we see with the new Mexican government is certainly a dramatic shift in how they talk about immigration in Mexico and their own priorities, both from when López Obrador was campaigning and having a zero tolerance policy for abuses against migrants,” said Meyer, who believes that the new Mexican president inherited a number of challenges, especially in terms of the gas shortage.
Other subjects that Meyer touched upon include the continual need for judicial reform in Mexico, specifically in terms of strengthening the nation’s investigative capacity to rectify impunity and corruption. To do this, Mexico must appoint a new national prosecutor to reinvent Mexico’s judiciary. This also relates to WOLA’s current aspirations to assist Mexico in stopping the disappearances of its citizens.
“I think this is an area given the magnitude of what happened in Mexico over the past decade, but also a new president that has made peace and reconciliation part of his campaign, that this is one area that we’d like to see move forward,” said Meyer.
Moreover, Meyer also expressed skepticism about López Obrador’s plans to implement a National Guard.
“This is where you’re seeing a lot of criticism against López Obrador, including from WOLA,” said Meyer, who believes that strengthening local police institutions would be more beneficial. “Instead of working to strengthen civilian police, these proposals are creating a force that in its essence is more military-based, not only in terms of military police agents but also military training and supervision. There are a lot of concerns.”
Overall, the general sentiment throughout the event was one of hope, considering that the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives is better equipped to challenge Trump’s xenophobic policies and lack of accountability among Department of Homeland Security officials. Some also felt that Mexico continues to take the brunt of responsibility in the so-called “crisis” at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“The truth of the matter is that nobody is asking Mexico how they feel about anything,” said Louisianian Sandra Lordians, who founded the Democrats Abroad branch in Mexico. “I can tell you that if the United States builds a wall, Mexico is going to build a ladder.”