Day Two in Guadalajara

Monday was the first full day of programming in Guadalajara.

We began the day at 9:30AM with a walking tour of the historic downtown, led by Professor Guillermo Célis of the University of Guadalajara (in English). We learned about the history of Guadalajara, which was established in four separate locations over 8 years til Beatriz Hernandez told the male leaders she wasn't moving one inch further without a plan, and, in response, they opted to stay where Guadalajara is today. We learned that the Mexican revolution did not reach the city until 4 years after it began because the rich of Guadalajara weren't interested in change (go figure). We also talked about the Guadalajara of today--from the continuing role that the Catholic Church plays in politics (with political hopefuls seeking bishops' blessings) to the frankly terrifying number of "disappearances" in the city and the political non-response to them. Along the way, we stopped by important buildings and landmarks--even "San Johnny" (the Mercado San Juan de Dios)--where one can buy everything from fruit to counterfeit goods. 

We lunched at a restaurant operated by a gentleman who took voluntary departure from the US. His family, including a USC daughter, resettled in Guadalajara. She's spending the summer with family still remaining in the US.

Later in the afternoon, two guest speakers came to the boutique hotel where we are staying. Our classes took place on the roof of the hotel, with cool breezes blowing and the sounds of the city around us.

The first speaker, Heriberto Vega, is another professor at the University of Guadalajara. As you can see at the link, he writes in the area of migration. Prof. Vega started us off with a 10,000 foot view of migration generally--where people are coming from/going to globally, the reasons people are on the move, and the dangers of irregular migration. Prof. Vega spoke in Spanish, with 4 out of the 5 of us students receiving simultaneous translation through earbuds. (This was my first experience with simultaneous translation and it was very difficult for me to follow what felt like two conversations at once. I ended up listening to the Spanish only, most of the time. As bad as my spoken skills are, I understand a lot.) Prof. Vega then moved on to discussing Mexico specifically. He noted that Mexico is simultaneously (i) a final destination for some migrants, (ii) a county some migrants only transit through, (iii) a country that expels migrants (even if it phrases that work as "assisted return"), and (iv) a country that receives expelled migrants. He also provided a big picture history of migration to and from Mexico since Spanish occupation.

From Prof. Vega I also learned these interesting bits about Mexico and migration:

• unauthorized migration in Mexico is a a "falta administrative" (civil offense) not a "delito" (crime)
• Some 2000 migrants are kidnapped each year. Their kidnappers demand $1500 from family in Central America as well as $1500 from family in the US. This is big business.
• For every 100 migrants who try to get to the United States, only 15 make it. Some return to their home countries. Some settle in Mexico. Some are murdered. Some disappear.
• The largest number of migrants who settle in Mexico are from the United States--think retirees, sure, but mainly the families of deportees.
• 90% of those who apply for refugee status in Mexico abandon the process. They can wait as long as a year just to get confirmation from the government that their application has been received.
• The first migrant shelter in Mexico was opened in 1981. Now there are some 120 migrant shelters across the country, most funded by the Catholic Church.

Our next speaker was Judith Ponce, a Mexican attorney who works with the city of Guadalajara on human rights. She gave us a big picture of the Mexican legal structure, with particular attention paid to the differences between Mexico and the United States, such as:

On point 3 -- federalism. She noted that while in the US, states can make choices (albeit limited) regarding migration (e.g. to offer drivers licenses, insurance, financial support), in Mexico, migration is strictly a national issue. States have no role to play.

Other points that Dr. Ponce made include:

• There are no immigration courts in Mexico. Immigration issues are considered by non-specialist administrative judges.
• The United Nation's IOM along with the Programa Regional Sobre Migración operate "venatnillas." There are 4 in Jalisco. These are places where deportees from the US can go to get information about things like how to enroll in school, registering births.

Below is an important provision of the Mexican Constitution (a document she described as a thick bible in contrast to our few sheets of paper):

She talked a bit about the dis-junction between the law on the books and the law in practice. The above provision requires action to protect the human rights of all--human rights being a significant focus of Mexican migration laws given that the country has signed nearly all of the international compacts on human rights. Yet, in practice, it can be difficult to access needed support. Getting the law to recognize obligations is hard because impact litigation is expensive and few pursue it.

Finally, Dr. Ponce noted that US politicians act as if everyone in Mexico is just chomping at the bit to get into the United States. This, she hopes we'll see this week, is not true.

We ended the day at a homeless shelter--Casa Belissario operated by DIF. DIF stands for the Sistema Nacional para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia. Tran (Rhizome's Executive Director) describes DIF this way: "a dependency of the Mexican Secretariat of Health that is tasked with the country's social programs aimed a reducing inequality and protecting the vulnerable, including women, children, and the elderly. DIF runs many of the country's shelters that migrants, deportees, and refugees increasingly turn to for basic meal and shelter support."

At the Casa Belissario, we spoke with Javier Zamorano, the shelter's director, as well as his in-house psychologist. The shelter is small, housing a maximum of 42 men. The men are permitted to stay 4 months without cost in order to help them work and save up enough to support themselves in the future. The Rhizome Center brought tamales and champurrado for dinner, and we sat with the shelter guests and chatted. I met several men who had been deported from the United States after living there for many years and who ended up homeless in Guadalajara.

If this sounds like an exhausting day, it was. But Rhizome builds in breaks throughout the day--for naps, or coffee, or blogging. To be honest, the most difficult part for me has been trying to listen intently to Spanish and talk semi-coherently with people. (One fellow at the shelter told me to just give up and talk in English--mind you, I was trying to talk about the intricacies of government support for baseball potentials when comparing Mexico to the DR, so, I may have bit off a bit more than I could chew. It's hard to believe I once worked as a translator for legal aid!) 

Well, that's it for day one. I hope I'm whetting your appetite to consider attending this program in the future. It's offered 2x a year (winter, summer).

-KitJ