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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | December 2005 
Official Decries Poor Treatment
 Miami Herald
| | The detention areas hold mostly Central American migrants before they are deported to their home countries. The study found 76 percent of the facilities were in "bad" or "very bad" condition. |
The federal Human Rights Commission acknowledged on Wednesday that the country mistreats many migrants - mainly Central Americans - and uses some of the same methods on them that it opposes in the United States.
The admission comes as the government has launched a diplomatic offensive against a U.S. House of Representatives immigration enforcement bill.
The bill proposes making illegal entry a felony and enlisting military and local law enforcement to help stop illegal migrants. Officials here said Mexico already does both.
Mexico´s "population law does include prison terms for illegally entering the country ... and this is something that has been the subject of constant complaints," said Mauricio Farah, a national inspector for the rights commission.
According to Article 123 of Mexico´s Population Law, "foreigners illegally entering the country will be subject to punishment of up to two years in prison" and fines of up to 300,000 pesos (US$28,220). Such prison sentences are rarely imposed.
José Luis Soberanes, president of the rights commission, said Mexico uses government agencies like the police and the military to detain undocumented migrants even though it is not allowed.
"The only agency authorized to detain foreigners (for immigration violations) is the National Immigration Institute," Soberanes told a news conference.
The comments were made as the commission presented a report that found overcrowding, poor treatment and bad conditions at many of the country´s 51 immigration detention centers and 68 other holding facilities.
The detention areas hold mostly Central American migrants before they are deported to their home countries. The study found 76 percent of the facilities were in "bad" or "very bad" condition.
They often lack working bathrooms, blankets, sleeping mats, adequate food and medical care. Many detainees are forced to sleep on floors, and some holding areas lack the space to separate women and children, or detainees with infectious diseases.
Migrants are also held in such stations too long, Soberanes said. The commission urged the government to improve conditions and set clear standards for such facilities.
"One of the saddest national failings on immigration issues," Soberanes said, "is the contradiction in demanding that the North (the United States) respect migrants´ rights, which we are not capable of guaranteeing in the South," along Mexico´s border with Guatemala.
However, he slammed a U.S. immigration proposal to build 1,100 kilometers (700 miles) of additional fences or walls along the U.S.-Mexico border, calling it "absurd."
The House of Representatives immigration bill was passed Friday by a 239-182 vote. |
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