Recently in Mexico Category

UPDATE II: An advertising blog, Agency Spy, got a hold of this post.  I also found the website of the guy that made the ad.
 
CORRECTION:  In an email to Tony Herrera, the President of the advertising agency which represents Corona, wrote the following:

Tony--

Thank you for reaching out to us and bringing this ad and the Citizen Orange discussion to our attention. Prompted by your note, we looked into the origin of this ad as it wasn't created by the agency and it appears to be a spec piece done without client input or approval by an aspiring art director.

We're not sure how it made its way onto the blog you forwarded, or others for that matter, but wanted to let you know. We'll also make sure this is clarified on Citizen Orange and the other blogs that posted the ad.

Again, appreciate you bringing this to our attention.

Kind regards,

Peter Krivkovich
President / CEO
Cramer-Krasselt
www.c-k.com

Peter Krivkovich - Email (8 October 2009)

Also see the comment that was left by Kristin Fletcher, another representative of Cramer-Krasselt, below.  My original post was written as follows:

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It's always fun to see faulty nativist logic twisted on itself.  Laura Martinez at Mi Blog es Tu Blog found this priceless piece of advertising (sombrero tip to The Mex Files):

Drink us and we'll hire more Mexicans in Mexico.

Corona Advertisement - Mi Blog Es Tu Blog
(28 September 2009)

UPDATE I: See conversation between myself and RickB of Ten Percent in the comments of this post for added context.

What happens to undocumented people when they're deported to Mexico? I've decided to investigate this question firsthand by volunteering at the local soup kitchen for recent deportees in Nogales, Sonora.

I can't imagine leaving the only home I've ever known to some strange and foreign land that I've never been to. That's why when I started following blogs about husbands and wives with kids having to move to another country for legal reasons made me think if I could do the same. I have a lot of respect and admiration for them because they are making a tremendous sacrifice leaving their homes for their loved ones. So here's a few of the blog I've been following. Give'em a read when you have the chance.   

When I was in college, 3,000 miles from where I am today, I was really stunned and distraught to read that many Border Patrol agents were Mexican-American. Though I knew very little about border dynamics at the time, I was struck by the lack of ethnic compassion and recognition of shared immigration stories. Deciding and then undeciding to do thesis research on the topic, it's ironic that by the force of fate, I ended up living and working on the border 3 years later and once again thinking about this tension.

What I initially found puzzling now makes a lot more sense. Although the explicit aim of the BP is to intercept illegal immigration, my conversations with BP agents have led me to believe that they are not consciously nativist in their aspirations. Rather I've found that they're focused on their personal goals for the job, "securing America" and "securing their jobs", their versions of doing good and doing well.

Normally, when I have to meet my Mexican coworkers near the border, I walk right into Mexico through the turnstile doors.  Sometimes there is a guard, more times there isn't.

Even though Nogales is a more tranquilo border city than the ones in the news (Tijuana, Juarez), I don't usually linger too long near the line because as a guera (light-haired, light-skinned), I'm recognized as an American (which I am mostly), assumed to have money (which I don't really), and solicited for a taxi, taxi or to buy pharmaceuticals or souvenirs "for your boyfriend", as I'm told in impressively unaccented English.  This interaction, sort of amusing and novel the first time I crossed 5 months ago,  lost its appeal pretty quickly and I've trained hard to maintain an as-uninterested-as-possible expression on my face to reduce the solicitations to buy stuff.  It's sort of worked.  It also helps that I'm chaparrita (short) so I blend in more if I travel alone.

A few days ago I had the chance to linger for a longer while and observe the pedestrian traffic on the Mexican side.   I wasn't exactly surprised by what I saw, since I have been a foot pedestrian for a while now, but standing there and doing nothing but watching, I became newly aware of the contrasts and different degrees of privilege before me, all coexisting for brief moments as they pass and don't pass each other.  These are the people that I share foot space with on the Nogales border:

• The most privileged crossers: American-passport carrying retirees venturing into Mexico on an excursion to try burros (burritos), buy cheap medicine among the sea of pharmacies and perhaps a mask or some animal horns (no joke, I saw retirees carrying this as a souvenir a few weeks ago).

• The second most privileged crossers: Mexican-Americans with US passports, mostly residents of the border on the US side, going to visit their families, work, conduct business, and carry out the million other activities that link the two sides.  I think of this group as the second most privileged because they tend to have less disposable income than the retirees and are often treated rudely by Customs officials for being Mexican.

• The semi-privileged crossers: A little known but large group totaling several million border residents who after proving their ties to Mexico (through business, employment, family, property, or other ties), i.e. that they are only entering the US for a temporary stay, applied successfully for border crossing cards that entitle them to enter the US, 25 miles inland, and up to Tucson 65 miles away in Arizona, for a period of 30 days.  This group, a huge chunk of border traffic, is semi-privileged because they have to jump through a lot of hoops to cross legally, and even when they do their movement in the US is limited.

• The non-crossers: The majority of Mexicans do not qualify or cannot afford visas to the US and cannot cross through legal means.  (Mexicans who hail from areas south of the border do not qualify for the border crossing cards.)  Those who want/need to cross but can't are forced to cross illegally.  When I lingered, I watched about 25 crossers in camouflage dark green, blue and black clothing.  It wasn't clear to me which of them were preparing to cross and which had just been deported.  Some carried Homeland-Security issued plastic bags with clothes in them.  I'm not sure whose clothes they were.  Although I was intensely curious, I respected their privacy and held back from asking questions since they were either about to embark on a possibly deadly journey or had been forcibly returned from one.

I feel like it's so obvious, but I still need to point out how incredibly unfair it is that people like me can cross on a whim, that the hierarchy of border crossers exists and that the "non-crossers" have to risk their lives to cross.  On a return visit to the border on Friday, I snapped these two shots.  The first is a small section of the wall in which Nogalenses have attached crosses to mourn the Mexicans who have died crossing.  You can't see it in the picture but the crosses bear the names of the dead.

And this is the graffitied sentiment on the wall generated by unequal border policies and the resulting deaths.

For those who don't know Spanish, the graffiti reads, "BORDERS, SCARS ON THE LAND."

In an ideal world, I would advocate for the erasure of borders.  In the real world, I want to push for a sensitization of borders to people's needs and wants, to be with family, to work, to travel, to move more freely.

The border crossing card that allows the semi-privileged crossers entry into the US may be the model that we need to build off of.  This card could possibly increase Mexicans' and other foreigners' access to the US and create reciprocity between US immigration policies and the freer immigration policies of countries that allow us unlimited entry.  Obviously the border visa card would need to be revised - 25 miles and 30-day restrictions just don't cut it - but it is a start.  The border visa card could even win over conservative Americans.  Its laser technology means authorities can regulate who is entering, and because it allows people to come and go, it is likely to reduce "illegal" immigration.   This is by far not the only solution, but one that seems fairly obvious for this border resident.

I'm not usually a fan of the multiple public relations pitches that come through the contact us page on Citizen Orange.  Yet, I have to admit that when someone from Big Think wrote me about the story of Dr. Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, I was hooked and had to share the story.  I'll embed the Big Think video that tells his story here, but below the fold I'll expound upon it.

I don't think U.S. citizens realize how closely the rest of the world is following the U.S. election.  I've spoken to U.S. volunteers in Guatemala and everywhere they go Guatemalans want to ask them them what their feelings are on the candidates.  According to the Christian Science Monitor, it looks as if McCain was met with "skepticism" on his trip to Mexico and Colombia.  One student in Mexico had this to say:

Some Mexicans say they favor McCain, but a zeal for Obama, as a minority, is an undertone across Latin America. "Obama will change everything if he is elected... there will be true immigration reform and not a band-aid because he has African heritage and understands the plight of immigrants," says Marco Polo Herrera, a student in Mexico City. "McCain will be more of the same."

Christian Science Monitor - Sara Miller Llana (3 July 2008)

I am still doubtful over whether or not Obama is the best candidate for those concerned with the migrant plight, but it's interesting to know that there are those in Mexico who feel that way.
  

Picture by {the infonaut} at Flickr

Sombrero tip to The Latin Americanist for this article from the Dallas Morning News:

CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Mexico – With gasoline prices hovering near $4 per gallon, Texans along the U.S.-Mexico border have discovered a cheaper alternative: Mexico.

Mexican service stations all along the border report brisk sales in recent weeks as fuel prices in Texas continue to climb.

Angela Kocherga - Dallas Morning News (10 June 2008)

As nativists continue to falsely claim that "illegal aliens are stealing from U.S. taxpayers", it looks as if U.S. citizens have found a way to steal from Mexican taxpayers.  While gas prices continue to soar in the U.S., residents are crossing over to Mexico where the gas is significantly cheaper.  Why is the gas cheaper?