Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Chiapas (Agenzia Fides) – Dozens of central American immigrants and activists from Mexico began a march in south-east Mexico on the afternoon of 7 January to protest against the violence suffered by clandestine migrants seeking to reach the United States. The protesters will walk next to the railroad tracks for about 30 km, from the city of Arriaga (Chiapas) to Chahuites (Oaxaca), after their failed attempt to make this trip by train, by a train indeed known as “The Beast”, used by central Americans to enter into Mexico.
“We will start to leave, and we will go by foot. Perhaps we will arrive at midnight,” Father Heyman Vasquez told a press agency, who manages the “Hogar de la Misericordia” refuge for central Americans in Chiapas. During the march, the participants wore stripes to denounce violations of migrants' rights, the abuse of authority, invasion by security forces and the seizure of clandestine immigrants. “Tomorrow at midday, arriving in Chahuites, we will make a procession, to explain our protest,” Father Vasquez went on to say. Chahuites is the place where organised criminals abducted 50 central Americans last December, whose fates remain unknown.
Among those who are participating in the march to Chahuites, is Father Alejandro Solalinde, who organises a refuge for migrants and recently denounced a mass seizing of clandestine migrants, and also the activitist Elvira Arellano, who has become a symbol for clandestine immigrants, after staying an entire year in a church in the USA where she was given refuge to avoid deportation.
Federal authorities ordered police to guarantee the security of activists on their journey between Chiapas and Oaxaca. The secretariat office of the Government ordered the National Institute for Migration (INM) to suspend operations against immigrants in this area, to safeguard the integrity of the central Americans. This area has become dangerous, because not only are there those who operate as people traffickers and many who prey on immigrants, but also drug traffickers. The demands of the march, which has as its slogan, “Step by step towards peace”, are directly in contrast with the seizures, the attacks and the extortions by drug cartels. Further, the march is to condemn the lacking action by Mexican authorities and the violent operations by federal police against migrants without documents. The Church has always been present in the defence of these poor people who end up in the hands of criminals and she has repeatedly raised her voice in their favour (see Fides 03/01/2011 and Fides 17/11/2010). (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 08/01/2011)
