ACLU alleges ‘unchecked abuse’ at U.S.-Mexico border

5/17/16 CNN

(CNN)A complaint filed Tuesday accuses U.S. officers of “unchecked abuse” at the border.

Several Mexican women claim they were arbitrarily detained and strip-searched, and never told why they’d been singled out. A U.S. citizen alleges that an officer yanked his 11-year-old son’s arm, causing a hairline fracture. A legal permanent resident of the United States says an officer screamed at her and falsely accused her of being a fugitive.

Those allegations are among 13 cases documented in a complaint the American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Border Communities Coalition has filed with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The administrative complaint, lodged Tuesday, accuses officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection of “systemic abuse” and rights violations at several entry points between Mexico and the United States.

“It really mocks our American values of justice and fairness,” said Cynthia Pompa, a field organizer at the ACLU of New Mexico Regional Center for Border Rights. “And it shows that this agency really lacks oversight and accountability.”

DHS did not comment on the ACLU allegations.

Allegations in the complaint include:

• A 51-year-old Mexican woman says officers falsely accused her of being a prostitute and forced her to sign a false confession. She signed it because she didn’t understand English very well, according to the complaint. The confession, the complaint alleges, had her barred from entering the United States for five years.

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Mexican Women are being Abducted in Broad Daylight from Guadalajara’s Streets

3/29/2016 Women in the World, The New York Times

A rash of abductions and attempted kidnappings carried out in broad daylight and targeting young women has baffled and worried many in Mexico’s second-largest city, Guadalajara, the capital city of Jalisco state, which last year saw 1,161 women reported missing during the course of the year. That was before the abductions really began to surge in March, according to Vice News.

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Read the full story at Vice News…

Women Journey to Mexico to Put Focus on Immigration during Pope Visit

2/17/16 NBC News

For Guillermina Castellanos, the Pope’s message on compassion for immigrants is personal. Though she and her nine children are U.S. citizens, the California resident said her husband has been living in the U.S. for about 20 years and has not been able to legalize his status. Every time her daughters see a police officer drive up behind them, they’re afraid that their father will get pulled over and get arrested for being undocumented.

I tell them, ‘Don’t be afraid. The cop won’t do anything to your dad,'” Castellanos said. “But they still live with that constant fear.”

The Pope’s trip to the city of Juárez, Mexico on Wednesday is drawing hundreds of thousands of faithful on both sides of the border. But as the eyes of the world descend on the Pontiff’s visit to the area, some U.S. families like Castellanos say they want to ensure that people focus on the Pope’s message of compassion and dignity for immigrants.

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Event This Thursday! Prayers for the Stolen, A Discussion of Violence against Women in Mexico

WHEN: Thursday, October 8, 4:00-5:30pm

WHERE: 5th Floor Conference Room, Woodrow Wilson Center

Click here to RSVP.

A New York Times Book Review’s Editors Choice, Prayers for the Stolen has brought to light the scale of abduction of young girls into sex slavery in Mexico. Clement will be reading from and discussing Prayers for the Stolen, the result of ten years of research, which included interviews with women of drug traffickers, girls and women in rural communities and prisoners in Mexico City’s Santa Martha jail. An illuminating and affecting portrait of women in rural Mexico, and a stunning exploration of the hidden consequences of the drug war, Prayers for the Stolen is an unforgettable story of friendship, family, and determination.

The Mexico Institute and Politics and Prose are pleased to invite you to a talk by author Jennifer Clement on the writing of her book Prayers for the Stolen.

Jennifer Clement is a leading chronicler of contemporary Mexico. Her work has been translated into 24 languages and has garnered international acclaim such as the New York Times Editor’s Choice, the NEA Fellowship for Literature, the UK’s Canongate Prize, France’s Gran Prix des Lectrices Lyceenes de ELLE, the PEN/Faulkner Prize shortlist, and the Sara Curry Humanitarian Award. Clement is a Santa Maddalena Fellow and member of Mexico’s prestigious “Sistema Nacional de Creadores”. As president of PEN Mexico, her work focused on the disappearance and killing of journalists.

Click here to RSVP.

Upcoming Book Event! Prayers for the Stolen, A Discussion of Violence against Women in Mexico

WHEN: Thursday, October 8, 4:00-5:30pm

WHERE: 5th Floor, Woodrow Wilson Center

Click here to RSVP. 

The Mexico Institute and Politics and Prose are pleased to invite you to a talk by author Jennifer Clement on the writing of her book Prayers for the Stolen.

“Beguiling, and even crazily enchanting…Prayers for the Stolen gives us words for what we haven’t had words for before, like something translated from a dream in a secret language.” – New York Times Book Review

A New York Times Book Review’s Editors Choice, Prayers for the Stolen has brought to light the scale of abduction of young girls into sex slavery in Mexico. Clement will be reading from and discussing Prayers for the Stolen, the result of ten years of research, which included interviews with women of drug traffickers, girls and women in rural communities and prisoners in Mexico City’s Santa Martha jail. An illuminating and affecting portrait of women in rural Mexico, and a stunning exploration of the hidden consequences of the drug war, Prayers for the Stolen is an unforgettable story of friendship, family, and determination.

Jennifer Clement is a leading chronicler of contemporary Mexico. Her work has been translated into 24 languages and has garnered international acclaim such as the New York Times Editor’s Choice, the NEA Fellowship for Literature, the UK’s Canongate Prize, France’s Gran Prix des Lectrices Lyceenes de ELLE, the PEN/Faulkner Prize shortlist, and the Sara Curry Humanitarian Award. Clement is a Santa Maddalena Fellow and member of Mexico’s prestigious “Sistema Nacional de Creadores”. As president of PEN Mexico, her work focused on the disappearance and killing of journalists.

Keynote Speaker
Jennifer Clement, Author

Moderator
Andrew Selee, Executive Vice President, Wilson Center

Click here to RSVP.

Upcoming Event! Book Event: Prayers for the Stolen, A Discussion of Violence against Women in Mexico

WHEN: Thursday, October 8, 4:00-5:30pm

WHERE: Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington, DC

Click here to RSVP. 

“Beguiling, and even crazily enchanting…Prayers for the Stolen gives us words for what we haven’t had words for before, like something translated from a dream in a secret language.” – New York Times Book Review

A New York Times Book Review’s Editors Choice, Prayers for the Stolen has brought to light the scale of abduction of young girls into sex slavery in Mexico. Clement will be reading from and discussing Prayers for the Stolen, the result of ten years of research, which included interviews with women of drug traffickers, girls and women in rural communities and prisoners in Mexico City’s Santa Martha jail. An illuminating and affecting portrait of women in rural Mexico, and a stunning exploration of the hidden consequences of the drug war, Prayers for the Stolen is an unforgettable story of friendship, family, and determination.

The Mexico Institute and Politics and Prose are pleased to invite you to a talk by author Jennifer Clement on the writing of her book Prayers for the Stolen.

Jennifer Clement is a leading chronicler of contemporary Mexico. Her work has been translated into 24 languages and has garnered international acclaim such as the New York Times Editor’s Choice, the NEA Fellowship for Literature, the UK’s Canongate Prize, France’s Gran Prix des Lectrices Lyceenes de ELLE, the PEN/Faulkner Prize shortlist, and the Sara Curry Humanitarian Award. Clement is a Santa Maddalena Fellow and member of Mexico’s prestigious “Sistema Nacional de Creadores”. As president of PEN Mexico, her work focused on the disappearance and killing of journalists.

Keynote Speaker
Jennifer Clement, Author, Prayers for the Stolen

Moderator
Andrew Selee, Executive Vice President, Wilson Center

Click here to RSVP.

Infographic: Political Representation of Women in Mexico

Check out our new interactive infographic on female representation in Mexican politics!

Click here to see the infographic.