Mexicanos humillados en Arizona, y ahora quien podra defenderlos?, la ONU?, la OEA?, el chapulin colorado?

Indocumentados mexicanos, humillados y encadenados en cárcel-carpa en Arizona
Fuente: La Cronica	Martes 10 de Febrero, 2009
FOTOS: API Bajo el desértico sol de Arizona y vestidos con pantalones de rayas y sudaderas rosas con el lema “Limpio y sobrio”, unos 243 reos indocumentados, de los que 230 son de origen mexicano, viven hacinados desde el jueves de la semana pasada en la cárcel conocida como “la ciudad de las carpas”, donde cumplirán sus sentencias para después ser deportados. La “ciudad de las carpas” es una cárcel al aire libre que se estableció en 1993 dentro del condado Maricopa, Arizona, y donde los reos duermen dentro de carpas similares a las utilizadas por el ejército, rodeados de rejas, y vigilados las 24 horas del día por guardias. El responsable de este traslado, el sheriff del condado Joe Arpaio, explicó en un comunicado de prensa, que el traslado de los reos tiene un propósito económico, ya que se ahorrará dinero a los contribuyentes, aunque no proporcionó mas detalles al respecto. Los inmigrantes indocumentados, explicó, recibirán clases sobre las leyes de inmigración de los Estados Unidos, y anunció que aquellos reos que no cumplan con las reglas de la cárcel serán llevados en grupos a limpiar las áreas de la frontera por donde transitan los indocumentados. El consulado, vigilante. El cónsul de México en Phoenix, Carlos Flores Vizcarra, aseguró ayer que vigilará que los derechos básicos de los mexicanos no sean atropellados. “Diariamente representantes del consulado visitarán a nuestros ciudadanos para entrevistar a todos los internos, para darles asistencia consular y velar que se respeten sus derechos básicos, que no se abuse de ellos”, aseguró. Activistas y defensores de los derechos de los inmigrantes criticaron el traslado de los reos. Según el cónsul, 230 de esos reclusos son de origen mexicano, que serán deportados una vez que cumplan con sus sentencias, lo cual ocurrirá entre febrero y junio. “El gobierno de México a través de este consulado ha estado muy atento para ofrecer a ellos toda la asistencia consular que requieren y asegurarnos que se les trate de una manera digna, conforme a las leyes de las cárceles del condado Maricopa”, enfatizó el cónsul general. Imágenes de los reos con cadenas en los pies y las manos, cargando sus pertenencias en bolsas de plástico mientras entraban a la cárcel fueran vistas en todo el país. El cónsul desmintió, por otro lado, la versión del alguacil que este traslado a la cárcel-carpa “facilitará” la visita a los reos de los consulados. “El hecho que hayan sido recluidos en esta sección no facilita, ni proporciona ayuda adicional para el trabajo de la entrevista consular que nosotros hacemos”, aseguró Flores Vizcarra. ************* Dedicated refugee activist in search of new challenge By Alexandra Zabjek, The Edmonton JournalFebruary 10, 2009 Jim Gurnett spends so much time at Trinity Manor apartment building you would think he lives there. There are countless hours helping immigrant children with homework and hosting movie nights for tenants. But now the executive director of the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, who had long dreamed of opening a building for immigrants and refugees who experienced trauma in their journeys to Canada, is himself moving on. Natividad Jimenez, a refugee from Mexico, has fed Gurnett enchiladas and guacamole during his evening visits to Trinity Manor. She is among those surprised that Gurnett will step down in May from his post at the Mennonite centre. "When someone has a position like that in Mexico, they're snobbish, they don't want to talk to you. Jim was very approachable, very simple and he wanted to eat my food," she says through an interpreter. "Every time we met with him, we always thought he was concerned about us and our issues in the building." After almost eight years with the Mennonite centre, Gurnett says it is time for a change. The 59-year-old grandfather of eight is not retiring, just looking for something new. "It's one of those cases where things are strong and healthy. So if there was going to be a change at any time, this would be a good time." Gurnett may be soft-spoken, but he has become one of the most forceful voices on immigration and refugee issues in Edmonton. He has met with federal cabinet ministers to speak out against the "insanity" of the temporary foreign worker program, and has written letter after letter to newspapers, decrying anti-immigrant editorials. It has all been part of Gurnett's seven-day work weeks, whether driving a van-full of newcomers to the grocery stores or organizing an outing to the legislature grounds to view Christmas lights. During Gurnett's tenure, the Mennonite centre's annual budget increased to almost $8 million from $2 million , with most funding coming from the provincial and federal governments. The budget reflects an increasingly diverse Edmonton, where it is not uncommon to hear accents from Africa, India and South America. "I think Edmonton has generally been open to being a welcoming city, but the learning process of what that really means is maybe more challenging than we've yet understood," Gurnett says. The idea that immigrants should always adapt to Canadian culture persists, he says. He envisions an "intercultural" society in which immigrant and local cultures exchange ideas, both changing in the process. Trinity Manor is one of his biggest accomplishments, he says, along with the expansion of the Mennonite centre's bridging program, which has helped hundreds of foreign-trained accountants and engineers enter the workforce. But when asked what has changed for immigrants and refugees since he first came to the Mennonite centre, Gurnett is blunt and negative. "I think in many ways, the circumstances of immigrants in 2009 are even tougher than in 2001. We're bringing large numbers of people to Canada and most of them are not achieving the success they should." He blames a lack of leadership on immigration issues at the federal level. Without proper leadership, well-educated immigrants will continue to languish in low-skill jobs and the funding will never be in place to help newcomers settle in Canada, he says. Mennonite centre staff such as Delmy Garcia-Hoyt tear up when asked about Gurnett's departure. Hoyt is among the workers who provide full-time support to tenants at Trinity Manor. She fondly remembers Gurnett sloshing through the basement of the apartment building after a flood, filling buckets with water along with the rest of the staff. "When you have a person like that as a leader, you want to give more," Garcia-Hoyt says. "Whatever he talks, he lives. It's never just about a theory." Gurnett started seriously thinking about leaving the Mennonite centre late last year. The centre was in the midst of a move from its old downtown office space to two new buildings near 118th Avenue. The move had taken months of planning, and as he watched the last trucks get loaded with supplies, Gurnett knew it would be a good time to go. While the new buildings have marked the end of his time at the organization, Gurnett thinks they symbolize a new beginning for the settlement of refugees and immigrants in Edmonton. "I've always believed we should develop space that shows they're every bit as important, and as good, and deserve to be welcomed in as high-quality space as if you're going to a lawyer's office. We're finally saying, 'Newcomers to Edmonton, we're very glad to have you.' "