Mexico’s Bishops respond to
US migration deal
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| Undocumented migrants crossing the border from Guatemala into Mexico (AFP) |
The Catholic Bishops of Mexico release a statement
expressing concern for a recent agreement with the United States to stem the
flow of migrants traveling north towards the US border.
By Vatican News
Mexico and the United States agreed last Friday on a deal to
avert tariffs on all Mexican exports to the US, with Mexico promising to take
“strong measures” to halt migrants traveling north from Central American
countries.
In a statement, the Mexican Bishops’ Conference expressed
its “concern at the lack of a truly humanitarian welcome for our migrant
brothers and sisters which reflects our convictions in recognizing and protecting
the rights of all human beings equally.”
Mexico must not be the wall
The Bishops say the government’s decision to send 6,000
National Guard troops to Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala was
“contradictory”.
“If we, as Mexicans, have rejected the construction of a
wall,” they say, “we cannot turn ourselves into that wall.”
But the Mexican Bishops also welcomed the deal to avoid
tariffs on Mexican goods, and hoped that “continued dialogue might express the
fundamental values of two democratic nations: respect for human rights,
solidarity among peoples, and efforts to promote the common good of the
region”.
Partial success
The Bishops say the real problem is not stopping the flow of
migrants, but “promoting integral human development in Central America and the
southeastern portion of Mexico.”
“Mexico is not isolated,” they say. “It is a brother nation
that must build up other Central American countries through a strategy that
take into account a regional common good”.
Migrants are not currency to be traded
“Our migrant brothers,” say the Bishops, “must never be used
as currency. No negotiation should be placed above what the Church and civil
society have defended for years; that is, not labeling migrants as criminals,
and the human rights of those who fight for their dignity with significant
risks to their own security.”
Appeal to Mexican and US governments
The Catholic Bishops of Mexico conclude their message with
an appeal to the governments of Mexico and the United States.
They formally request that the two nations “make a permanent
commitment to put dialogue and transparent negotiation first in our bilateral
relations. Do not fall into the easy temptation of blackmail or threats. The
good of each country is built by looking after the good of the whole region.
There is not future other than that of walking together as brothers and
sisters”.
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