San Miguel-the end of a journey … and a dream
By Jesús Ibarra and Suzanne Ludekens (June 9, 2006)
Editor's note: For the past five months, Atención has reported numerous immigration detentions in the weekly police blotter. These immigration detentions, identified as "Predominantly from Central America," report the extremely high numbers of Central Americans who pass every week, unsuccessfully, through Mexico on the way to the United States. This is the first in a series of articles on illegal migrants in San Miguel.


Mexico is an intermediate and obligatory step for Central Americans who, like the many Mexicans who head north, search for a better life in the United States for themselves and the families they leave behind. 


Carrying little more than the hope of attaining the "American Dream" they enter Mexico as mojados (wetbacks), crossing the Suchiate River near the border point of Tapachula, Chiapas. They are men, most in their early 20s, fleeing from the poverty in their home countries-Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador-where they worked as construction workers or farmers. Many leave wives and children behind. It is also not uncommon for women and children to risk the journey of thousands of kilometers. Daily they can be seen riding the roofs of freight trains that pass through San Miguel, or hanging around the railway station at nearby Commonfort. 

Over the past three years, the numbers of "ilegales" detained in Guanajuato has increased 500 percent. According to 2002 National Institute of Migration statistics, 413 illegal immigrants-mainly from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador-were taken into custody and deported. By 2005, the amount increased to 2,084 people. From January to May 2006, 1,076 illegal immigrants were deported.



San Miguel: not always the ideal destination

Many roads from the southern border lead to the US, but the easiest form of travel for the migrants is by train. Freight trains run from Tapachula in the south to Veracruz, and then on to Mexico City. The next stops on the way north are at Commonfort (or Irapuato) on the way to San Luis Potosí, before the train heads toward Monterrey and Nuevo Laredo at the border.

San Miguel's train station, a crucial break in the journey, is a common meeting point for many illegal immigrants, most of whom come from Honduras. Stopping in San Miguel is very risky, because the National Institute of Migration is located only a few hundred meters from the railway station. Immigration officers, railway employees and neighbors easily identify the hungry and tired migrants. Even though some are detained, others continue on their journey with the help of neighbors near the train station.

One neighbor, who asked not to be identified, is aware of this issue and tries to help with food or even a job. "In the six months I've been living here, I have seen at least 12 cases of young Central American immigrants who come to my house asking for food and work," she said.

 "Each time a Central American comes to my house I give him food and water and sometimes work."

Yet the treatment of the migrants is not always so kind. Just as Mexicans face hazards as migrants to the United States, so do Central Americans face difficulties in Mexico. Many fall victim to the violent gang "Mara Salvatrucha" in Chiapas or to Mexican Border Patrol officers who steal the little money they have.



Immigration detentions in San Miguel

The National Institute of Migration in San Miguel not only serves the increasing number of expats and tourists, but also plays an important role in detaining the illegal Central American migrants. There are two other supporting offices in the state, one in León and the other at the Silao airport.

According to migration official Edgar Delgado, the department conducts two or three operations per week at the railway stations at Commonfort, Irapuato, Salamanca and León. 

Local police officers are called in to transport the detained migrants to temporary custody in the San Miguel jail (in the new administration offices). When the migrants are taken into custody, they are treated as offenders, not as criminals, and are given meals, medical attention (if necessary) and the opportunity to make a telephone call. Men and women are held separately. Minors, if they are traveling alone, are sent to the Family Services Agency (DIF). Children traveling with parents are also sent with them to the jail to avoid psychological trauma due to separation.

In less than 24 hours migrants are then deported by bus to Tapachula and are turned over to their respective consular agencies.

Currently, the National Institute of Migration offers an option called "voluntary deportation," whereby migrants can request deportation by filling out a form that allows them to apply to cross the border legally in the future. If they refuse, they are denied legal entry into Mexico for 10 years. Since it was established last year, all detained immigrants have voluntarily left Mexico.

Year Immigrants detained in Guanajuato
2002 413
2003  712
2004 1,271
2005 2,084
Jan-May 2006 1,076

 

Where do they come from?

Immigrants detained in 2005

Guatemala 431

Honduras 1,255

Nicaragua 17

El Salvador 342 

United States 8

Others 31 



Immigrants detained in 2006

January 2006  188
February 2006 213
March 2006 224
April 2006 225
May 2006 226
Total 1,076


Next week, first-hand accounts from migrants whose journeys stopped in San Miguel.