Page 12 - aruba-today-20190709

A12 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 9 July 2019

Mexican president gets little backlash for migrant crackdown

By MARK STEVENSON migrants asylum in Mexi- care of their own people." spoken defenders of mi- Solalinde said. Irineo Mu-
Associated Press co. In October, nearly 48% Some have criticized the grants are defending López jica, whose Pueblo Sin Fron-
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexi- favored it, while 38% op- crackdown. The head Obrador's crackdown on teras group helped lead
can police, soldiers and posed. By June that had of Mexico's National Im- the porous southern border, those caravans, now ac-
National Guard are raiding flipped, with 57% opposed migration Institute, Tona- where migrants from across knowledges the caravans
hotels, buses and trains to and 37% favoring. tiuh Guillén, resigned when the world simply wade or were "used for political pur-
round up migrants, creating Even for Mexicans who the crackdown was an- ride rafts across rivers mark- poses" — Trump cited them
scenes of weeping Central don't think Central Ameri- nounced in June to head ing the border. frequently during the 2018
American mothers piled midterm elections — and
into police vans along with says they shouldn't happen
their children and overflow- again.
ing detention centers with But Mujica, who was brief-
deplorable conditions. ly arrested at the start of
Such scenes have caused López Obrador's crack-
an outcry in the United down, thinks there was a
States, but in Mexico there campaign in the press and
has been little backlash on the internet to smear
against the government the migrants.
of President Andrés Man- "This was the contribution
uel López Obrador even of the news media," Mujica
though his country has his- said. "For example, when
torically had a deep sym- they said the Central Amer-
pathy for the plight of mi- icans are forcing their way
grants. in, when in fact they had
This sympathy has been opened the door to them.
eroded by the migrant Saying they had burned
caravans of late 2018 and the Mexican flag, or they
early 2019, which left a bad left garbage behind, or de-
taste in the mouth of Mexi- picting them as ungrateful."
cans and caused deep di- The activist thinks that in the
visions among pro-migrant long run, the crackdown
groups. López Obrador's will force migrants into
reputation as a popular Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador delivers his speech during rally to celebrate more dangerous routes,
leftist has also muted the re- the one-year anniversary of his election, in Mexico City's main square, the Zocalo, Monday, July and eventually become a
sponse to the crackdown. 1, 2019. political embarrassment for
Add to this the disruption Associated Press López Obrador.
caused by migrants in "This won't be a definitive
Mexican border cities and cans take jobs from Mexi- off Trump's threat of tariffs Rev. Alejandro Solalinde, political cost for his admin-
threats of border closures cans or cause increased on Mexican products. Por- who runs a shelter for mi- istration, but it will continue
or tariffs from U.S. President crime — accusations rou- firio Munoz Ledo, the con- grants in the southern Mex- to damage him," Mujica
Donald Trump, and it has all tinely heard, especially in gressional leader of López ico and has fiercely criti- said. "This situation is going
led many Mexicans to see southern Mexico — there is Obrador's Morena party, cized past administrations, to continue to get worse,
the waves of migrants as a a sense that too many mi- said that "it is morally unac- said that "someone had to and that will mean more
problem. grants have come. ceptable that on one hand impose order on the border kidnappings, more human
Polls say López Obrador's "The truth is that it is a prob- we demand they (the U.S.) ... everyone was crossing rights violations, more ex-
approval rating has held lem for everyone. It's better open the doors for us, but there without the slightest tortions. This will mean more
steady at 66% to 72% de- that they be sent back to we close them in the faces problem." deaths of migrants ... this
spite the crackdown and their countries," said Jorge of Central Americans, in or- Solalinde, who is close to is definitely a blow to the
reports of brutal condi- Parada Leon, a Mexico City der to do the United States' López Obrador, added: credibility he had."
tions at the huge Siglo XXI message delivery worker. dirty work." "Let's be clear about this. López Obrador himself has
migrant holding facility on "Crossing Mexico the way López Obrador acknowl- This isn't what Andrés Man- acknowledged that one of
Mexico's southern border they do is dangerous, a lot edges the crackdown was uel's administration want- his biggest fears is a mas-
and other centers. of them have died ... they implemented to avoid U.S. ed; it is what it was able to sacre of migrants like the
When the first caravan got should fix the problems tariffs on Mexican imports do" in the face of Trump's one in which a drug car-
a warm welcome in Octo- they have in their home threatened by Trump in threats. tel killed 72 mainly Central
ber, Mexicans were almost countries." late May. Solalinde blamed a series American migrants in 2010
evenly split on whether Many Mexicans are also "A few days ago we were of four or five immigrant in San Fernando, a town in
Mexico should stop mi- angered by the idea that able to overcome a possi- caravans that brought the northern border state of
grants from other countries Mexico would contribute ble economic and political thousands of migrants in Tamaulipas.
from entering without prop- money for development crisis, by means of an im- 2018 and early 2019 that Still, most Mexicans have
er documents, according aid in Central America. migration agreement that overwhelmed border cit- been willing to overlook the
to an El Universal survey López Obrador "should fo- requires us to be stricter ies and wore out an initially mistakes of the new admin-
which polled 1,000 people cus on the people instead in enforcing immigration warm welcome. istration, which took office
June 3-7 with a margin of of being compassionate laws," he said. "We have es- "They were irresponsible in Dec. 1.
error of 3.5 percentage with the migrants who tablished a relationship of bringing migrants to the "The president has called
points. come from other coun- respect and friendship with northern border and ex- for reaching a balance
Eight months later, 61.5% tries," said Argelia Miranda the people and govern- posing them to risks in such between national security
supported stopping them Vazquez, a government ment of the United States a brutal way. They herd- and human security, that
and only 33% opposed it, employee. "He should sup- and this has allowed us to ed the migrants up to the is, human rights," said So-
according to the same port the (Mexican) people. avoid confrontation that border and caused a big lalinde. "I think we are go-
poll. Even more dramatic And the others? Well, let wouldn't benefit anyone." international problem be- ing to find a way to strike
was the reversal on giving their governments take Even some of the most out- tween the two countries," the balance."q