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El gobierno de Guanajuato, México, localizó a través de personal de su Oficina Enlace en Los Ángeles, California, a los connacionales guanajuatenses afectados por los incendios masivos en dicha ciudad estadounidense, mismos que han dejado a miles de damnificados y más de 9 mil viviendas destruidas.

Así, el gobierno de Guanajuato refirió que, tras un recorrido por dos de los centros de evacuación instalados para asistir a las personas damnificadas por los incendios, se localizó a dos familias originarias del estado, particularmente de los municipios de San José Iturbide y Uriangato.

Estas familias se localizaron en el Centro de Convenciones de Pasadena, donde han acudido parte de los damnificados de la ciudad de Altadena y donde vive una población muy importante de latinos.

Se trata de Teresa Campuzano y sus tres hijos, originarios de San José Iturbide y quienes tienen 18 años viviendo en Estados Unidos. 

Esta familia perdió todos sus bienes materiales a consecuencia de los incendios. Informó en un comunicado el gobierno de Guanajuato.

“Ahora vamos a tratar de sobrevivir… a empezar de nuevo… Lo más difícil ahora es encontrar una renta porque en primer lugar no hay muchas opciones, es muy costoso y para quienes no tenemos documentos a veces no es tan fácil”, comentó Teresa.

De igual forma, se localizó a un matrimonio originario del municipio de Uriangato, conformado por Miguel Ángel Montaño y su esposa Sonia. Esta familia perdió su casa en las faldas del cerro en Altadena, donde tenían viviendo más de 30 años. 

“Aunque lo más valioso es la vida, nos duele haber perdido el esfuerzo de tantos años”, dijo Miguel Ángel.

Como parte de los apoyos del gobierno del estado, encabezado por la gobernadora Libia Dennise García Muñoz Ledo, para estas familias afectadas, personal de la Oficina Enlace en Los Ángeles coordina acciones con organizaciones de guanajuatenses en Estados Unidos para brindarles ayuda y donativos. 

De igual forma, la Secretaría de Derechos Humanos analiza la posibilidad de ofrecer apoyos económicos o en especie a estas personas.

Las y los guanajuatenses que requieran ayuda pueden acudir a la Oficina Enlace del Gobierno del Estado en Los Ángeles, ubicadas en 1829 W Imperial Hwy, Los Angeles, California, o se pueden comunicar con la encargada de esta oficina, Lucero Amador al 323 208 7099 y 323 615 6820.

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La presidenta de México, Claudia Sheinbaum, pidió a los cónsules de México en Estados Unidos, tener mayor cercanía con la comunidad migrante mexicana en general, y no solo con aquellas personas “conocidas” o “relevantes” que solicitan una cita particular con ellos.

La encomienda fue dada durante la Reunión de Embajadores y Cónsules (REC) de este año, celebrada esta misma semana, donde la misma mandataria les precisó que uno de los temas más importantes para el gobierno es el apoyo a las y los mexicanos en el exterior, especialmente en Estados Unidos.

Lo anterior, ante las amenazas del presidente electo de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, quien tomará posesión el próximo 20 de enero, y quien ha hecho amenazas de deportaciones masivas de inmigrantes indocumentados en el país.

“Uno de los temas más importantes para nosotros es el apoyo a las y los mexicanos en el exterior, particularmente en Estados Unidos”, precisó Claudia Sheinbaum.

“Lo dije el otro día aquí en la mañanera, lo que les planteé a las y los cónsules es que, a veces, al no tener uno contacto, sobre todo los espacios que dan servicio directo a la ciudadanía ya sea en México o en el exterior, cuando uno no está en contacto con quien recibe ese servicio y ese apoyo, a veces, uno no sabe qué pasa”, subrayó la mandataria.

Y es que, dijo, ella acostumbra ese acercamiento con la ciudadanía, tal como lo hizo cuando fue jefa de la delegación Tlalpan y luego del gobierno de la Ciudad de México.

En ese sentido, reiteró que el llamado a los cónsules era el mismo, la cercanía con los connacionales y el escuchar y conocer sus necesidades, inquietudes y problemas.

“Les dije: salgan a la calle, vean quién está en la fila, pregúntenles cuál es el servicio que les están dando, si están satisfechos y no, qué más requieren; bajen a la ventanilla para ver cómo se les atiende, el trato que se da, qué requerirían, toda la información que se requiera, para ver que ya se están disminuyendo trámites, para poder sacar los servicios y al mismo tiempo acercarse a las y los connacionales que están allá para ver si realmente lo que hemos hecho de los abogados y todo esto, si tienen acceso o no, esa fue una recomendación general les planteé”, precisó la presidenta de México.

De igual manera, dijo que les pidió que, en la medida de lo posible, tuvieran audiencias públicas y que se sentaran con ellos. 

“Les planteé que, en la medida de lo posible, tuvieran audiencias públicas, que se sentaran ellos, que recibieran gente, que ampliaran el número de citas, no solo para personas ‘conocidas’ o ‘relevantes’, que piden cita con el cónsul, sino para cualquier ciudadano que pueda acercarse a su consulta y que vea que hay cercanía, esa fue en general la orientación”, puntualizó.

Por otra parte, aseguró que pronto se darán a conocer los nombramientos para las embajadas de Brasil y Panamá, así como el cónsul para la ciudad de Nueva York en Estados Unidos, y quien estará a cargo de la coordinación de consulados.

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For years, decades, migration has been seen in Mexico as a humanitarian right. That kind of top-down rhetoric is now complicating the Mexican government's efforts to suppress migration flows.

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Anti-immigrant sentiment is widespread in the United States, where Congress is on the verge of approving a draconian law aimed at immigrants and Department of Homeland Security raids have resumed in California's Central Valley. But what about in Mexico, where President Claudia Sheinbaum must confront increasingly aggressive calls for stricter enforcement by the incoming Trump administration and where migration has long been defended as a natural human right? Ariel Soto, of the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan organization, says that as migrants, including large numbers of minors, continue to pass through the country, Mexico faces an “identity crisis” as it searches for a way forward. (This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.)

El País reports that a man has been arrested in Mexico Increasing number of migrant childrenHave you seen that too? And if so, what does it tell us about current migration flows?

What I’ve seen in the data is that the number of children traveling alone has actually declined since 2021, when Central American migration, primarily from Guatemala and Honduras, began to slow relative to other countries, including Venezuela, Colombia and Haiti, from where migrants tend to travel largely as single adults. That could mean more minors are traveling with families or in larger groups of children. Still, the number of minors remains relatively high, presenting significant challenges for U.S.-Mexico negotiations.

What do you think are these challenges?

In Mexico, there is a law that was passed in 2020 and was implemented in 2021 that prohibits the detention of any child traveling alone or with another person through Mexico. Additionally, anyone traveling with a minor cannot be separated from that child, as this is deemed to be against the child’s best interest. There is a world of difference between that law and what is in place in the United States, where we continue to detain children, albeit for a shorter period.

Why this discrepancy between the two countries?

In general, the Mexican Congress has taken a very pro-humanitarian stance regarding migrant children. This doesn't mean that just because there are laws protecting children, these laws are enforced or implemented uniformly throughout Mexico. Obviously, that's not the case. But, at least on paper, Mexican policies are more child-friendly. In the United States, we haven't seen immigration reform of any kind for a long time. So whether it's Biden, Trump, Obama, or anyone else, there really hasn't been that ability to make significant changes regardless of who's president.

Still, migrant children passing through Mexico face significant risks, don't they?

You've probably heard reports of how migrants think that Mexico, not the Darien Gap, is the most difficult place to crossIt is in Mexico where many migrants, including children, are exposed to sexual or physical harassment, corruption, and not only among bad actors, coyotes or smugglers, but also politicians, police, the National Guard and, particularly, the National Migration Institute (which oversees migration in the country). There have been information of very poor treatment of migrants by INM officials across Mexico for years. The journey from southern Mexico to northern Mexico is long, and the different routes people take are very dangerous in some cases. Children, especially very young ones, are probably the most vulnerable.

Anti-immigrant sentiment is on the rise in the United States. What about in Mexico? Could there be a backlash as more immigrants choose to stay? 

Migration through and from Mexico dates back to the late 1990s and early 1980s. Even before that, there has been travel to and from Central America in southern Mexico. What has changed is the number and type of migrants, and that has led to a more polarized image among the Mexican public toward migrants. I must say, though, that it is not like the one that exists in the United States. In Mexico, migration is maybe in the top 10, maybe in the top 15 priority issues, but it is nowhere near the top. The reason, in general, is that the Mexican public has conformed to the idea that migrants are just passing through, even when Mexican migrants themselves have gone to the United States. There is a kind of public understanding that migration happens, and that it happens through Mexico.

That began to change when we started seeing the caravans of 2017 and 2018, primarily of Honduran migrants seeking protection en masse. These caravans attracted not only international media, but also local media in Mexico. And that began to affect public attitudes, especially in places that were not directly located along transit routes, as more people began to view migrants as a threat, especially as more Haitian and Cuban migrants began to pass through the country. Now it is not uncommon to hear people complain that migrants compete for local resources that should be destined for Mexican citizens, or that they are a security threat.

Given these changing dynamics, what do you see from the Sheinbaum administration in terms of an emerging strategy?

For years, decades, migration has been seen in Mexico as a humanitarian right. That kind of top-down rhetoric is now complicating the Mexican government’s efforts to suppress migration flows, including what we see on the southern border with Guatemala, now the country’s most heavily controlled zone. Even former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador tried to say that migration was a net benefit for the people, even though control under his administration surpassed levels seen even during the most conservative Mexican administrations. The fact that Mexico’s most liberal or left-wing government has maintained the harshest policies toward immigration is a puzzle that speaks to the crisis of Mexican identity in recent years.

Can you tell us more about the idea that Mexico is going through an identity crisis? What role does migration play in that?

You can't say immigration is bad when Mexicans are leaving in large numbers and have been leaving in large numbers for a long time. The problem is that official rhetoric doesn't align with current practices. There is a gap between what the administration says and what it does.

And what is the administration doing or proposing to do?

On the one hand, Sheinbaum is under pressure to continue the policies of her predecessor, López Obrador, which involves increased surveillance at the southern border. At the same time, she is trying to press López Obrador's argument that addressing migration requires getting to its root causes in the countries of origin. They are trying to combine these two political strategies, and they have not really worked. Mexico, today, is Detaining more migrants every month than the United States. That's a fact. Mexico is trying to do more with less money than its American counterparts. The question is: how sustainable is that?

Of course, Trump is making numerous threats and increasing the pressure on Sheinbaum. What should we be watching for as this dynamic unfolds?

I think there are two key elements to focus on. One is how Sheinbaum will respond if there are mass deportations of Mexicans from the United States to Mexico. Will she cooperate, seeking to defend herself from Trump's economic threats? Or will she stand firm, yielding to the public reaction in Mexico to mass deportations? It's a difficult line to walk. The other element is that Mexico is going to need additional assistance if it continues with its enforcement policies. Sheinbaum has said that both the INM and COMAR (in charge of refugee resettlement) will see cuts in their budgets this year. How will Mexico continue its law enforcement policies with less money? Will the United States help? It's a difficult question, but one that is likely to come up in the negotiations.

One last question: What happens to migrants fleeing the increasingly intolerable conditions in countries that are reinforcing their borders?

If we go back to the first Trump administration, when migration levels were beginning to rise, people were not just moving to the United States. In fact, most Venezuelans were moving to Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. I think they will continue to go to Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Mexico. These countries are relatively stable politically. They have relatively good economic systems, and they need immigrants to create jobs and promote growth. If there were smart politicians in these countries who were looking to the future of their economies, this would be the time to try to control migration as a benefit to those societies.

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