Salem-News.com Mexico articles Page 29

Two Sisters, Two Planets

A hardy shout away from Ciudad Juarez, El Paso experienced a dramatically different reality in 2010

(LAS CRUCES, N.M.) - Hugging a common land and embracing a sisterly river, El Paso and Ciudad Juarez are linked in a zillion ways. But in 2010, the twin cities might as well have been on different planets.

Depending on the press or law enforcement source, anywhere between 3075 and 3156 people were murdered in the Mexican city and the adjacent Juarez Valley. Of the victims, 304 or 306 were women, again depending on the source.

Tijuana`s Changed Migration Landscape

Stuck on the border, stranded young migrants become easy prey for prostitution and other rackets.

(TIJUANA, B.C.) - In Tijuana, the modalities of migration changed significantly during the last decade.

Reinforced US border walls, zooming helicopters and high tech surveillance on the US side of the border forced would-be migrants into more dangerous passages. The transformed landscape dramatically increased the cost of crossing, and strengthened outlaw groups in human trafficking.

2010: Turning Points in Chihuahua

This year international media devoted much reporting to the violence that engulfed Ciudad Juarez...

(CIUDAD, Juarez) - If anything could be said about 2010 in Ciudad Juarez and the state of Chihuahua, it might be stated that any semblance of human rights flew out the window.

Ushered in with the January murder of Juarez Valley human rights defender and army critic Josefina Reyes, the year drew to a close with the December slaying of activist Marisela Escobedo in Chihuahua City...

Building Border Food Security

“I think it’s been really positive,” - Youth Organizer, Cristina Dominguez

(LAS CRUCES, N.M.) - Sprouting up in the Rio Grande Valley, a new organization seeks to reshape the production, distribution and consumption of food.

Called La Semilla Food Center, the New Mexico-based project intends not only to grow and sell organic food, but also expose youth to new careers, inspire value-added industries, get locally-grown produce into large institutions, spin-off small businesses, and encourage nutritional awareness.

US Senate: The Grinch that Stole Christmas 2010

Angela M. Kelly of the Washington-D.C-based Center for American Progress Action Fund termed the Senate vote a “Grinch-like rejection.”

(LAS CRUCES, N.M.) - By a margin of five votes, the DREAM Act failed today to achieve the 60 votes necessary to ensure its passage in the US Senate. First introduced in 2001, the Dream Act would have provided a pathway to legalization for hundreds of thousands of undocumented young people who enroll in college or join the US military.

The vote fell on December 18, which is celebrated around the world as International Migrants Day.

Human Rights News: Activist Mother Gunned Down

Marisela Escobedo’s brazen slaying evoked mass outrage in cyberspace and on the streets in Mexico and abroad.

(LAS CRUCES, N.M.) - A Ciudad Juarez woman who struggled for more than two years to obtain justice for her murdered daughter is now a murder victim herself.

Marisela Escobedo Ortiz, mother of 16-year old Rubi Marisol Frayre Escobedo, was gunned down December 16 by an assassin in front of the state capital building in Chihuahua City as she protested her daughter’s case.

U.S. Senate to Vote on DREAM Act Saturday

Oregon Immigrant Rights Coalition urges bi-partisan passage of crucial legislation.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Last night, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed a cloture motion on the DREAM Act setting up a vote for Saturday Morning.

The Act will create a path to citizenship for immigrants who entered the United States undocumented as children under the age of 16 and have lived in America for at least five years, obtained a high school or General Ed. Development diploma and have demonstrated good moral character.

Ciudad Juarez: Enough is Enough

In a joint statement, organizations called on the government to end its “simulations” and make “human rights for all a reality on this border.”

(LAS CRUCES, N.M.) - December on the border is a time of family, faith and fiesta. Every year, thousands pay homage to the Virgin of Guadalupe.

While throngs jam international bridges for holiday shopping excursions, lively gatherings of friends and family on both sides of the border enjoy tamales, posole and festive times.

Piracy: The Real Economic End Game?

Threats of violence are increasingly related to conflicts over control of the broader underground economy.

(LAS CRUCES, N.M.) - All across Mexico, roving vendors, street stands, storefronts and even trendy bars peddle pirated DVDs, masquerade tequila, copy-cat fashion brands and other untaxed goods.

With hefty price hikes in store for cigarettes next month, tobacco is emerging as the latest pirated, hot commodity.

Time to Reconsider Rio Grande Management?

The 2002 crisis may have come and gone, but the issues shaping the future of the Rio Grande...

(LAS CRUCES, N.M.) - If there is anything the US and Mexico have in common, it is the meandering boundary between two neighbors; the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo river.

From its Colorado headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico, the Rio Grande is habitat for a plethora of animal and plant species, including migratory birds arriving from far to the north for winter refuge.