Day Six in Guadalajara

Friday was the last day of the Rhizome program in Guadalajara. The day's focus was labor.

In the morning, we heard from three speakers: Viviana Arce (Xenia), Arturo Uribe (Dulces de la Rosa), and Ismael Cosio (TATA). They spoke about the importance and benefits of integrating migrants into the Mexican workforce. As Viviana said:

Here are some of the things I learned over the course of the morning:

• Given that unauthorized migration is only an administrative issue and not a crime, Mexico does not refer to it as "illegal" migration, but rather "irregular" migration.
• It is not a crime for irregular migrants to work in Mexico. Working is considered a human right that they are entitled to pursue.
• Just like in the US, some regular migrants are authorized to work; other (e.g. tourists) are not.
• Corporate employers (or at least employers that don't count as being part of the "informal economy") face consequences for hiring irregular migrants who do not have the work authorization they would get from having a Mexican birth certificate and the Mexican equivalent to a social security number.
  • There are consequences for worker exploitation (e.g. paying less, not paying into social security for the worker--an impossible feat without that pseudo social security number).
  • Fines are possible.
  • Shutdown of the business is possible. 
  • They can be sued for withheld compensation (wage theft).
• Some Mexican companies are actively looking for ways to hire refugees and other migrants with the right paperwork (Dulces de la Rosa, Driscolls berries).
• Migrants with language skills and university/advanced degrees can do extremely well in Mexico.
• Even agricultural workers deported from the US might have unique skills that Mexican employers need (e.g. expertise in hydroponics farming).

Ismael was particularly interesting to hear from. He lived in the US from infancy (9 months) until his deportation at 26. As hard as it was for him to find his way in Mexico--and he admitted it took a few years--he has done really well for himself. "I am living the American dream in Mexico."

After these talks, the group went to lunch with Father José Juan ("JJ") Cervantes. He spoke about migration generally and the work that the Catholic Church, through the Scalabrinis, does with migrants and migration. (Unfortunately, I managed to fall ill and missed what I have been told was a truly excellent discussion.) 

-KitJ