Concientización y Liberación is the section of ¡LA VERDAD! in which we publish our analysis on specific questions facing the struggle for Raza National Liberation. We understand that only by bringing clarity to the struggle through criticism and self-criticism will we be able to advance as a movement.
The Future Of All Mexicanos As A People And Our Freedom As A Nation Must Now Be Measured On The Liberation Of The Occupied Territories/Aztlán:
The Anti-Mexicano History Of La Frontera
For the last sixteen years, Unión del Barrio has been consistently fighting for the liberation of Raza within Aztlán/Occupied México. We have led massive campaigns and won difficult struggles with the goal of Mexicano liberation always in mind. In 1989, Unión del Barrio led the effort to rebuild the National Chicano Moratorium Committee (NCMC). Once reestablished, we played a leadership role in the NCMC as this national organization mobilized tens of thousands of Raza in four national Marchas (1990-Los Angeles, 1992-San Diego, 1995-Los Angeles, and 1996-San Diego), actions that were totally independent of any government agencies and funding.
In between these years Unión del Barrio has been the most active Raza organization in the occupied territories organizing hundreds of forums, protests, and events. We have struggled to bring together five Unión del Barrio projects - the Chicano Mexicano Prison Project, Somos Raza youth group, the Comité de Mujeres Patricia Marín, La Verdad Publications, and the Unión del Barrio Security Brigades. We have published our newspaper, ¡La Verdad!, consistently since 1989- making ¡La Verdad! the longest running-consistent Raza liberation newspaper in the history of Aztlán. We have done all this, and more, with a very limited source of funding, and completely on a “volunteer” basis. We want to explain this to our readers so as to make it clear just how powerful the program, goals, ideals of our organization are; and how these principles hold together many different kinds of people under the flag of Mexicano liberation. Dignity, Unity, and Mexicano Power! is today our slogan as we continue to fight to defend our people from the most violent, unstable, shameful, and desperate times since Porfirio Díaz.
For many years now, Unión del Barrio, and organizations before us, have recognized the fundamental role the political border between México and what is today the United States. La linea has historically been an area of intense struggle for the Mexicano people. This is more true today than ever before. Through our years of struggle, Unión del Barrio has identified la frontera, and the terrible conditions its existence brings to our gente, as one of the fundamental stages where our future as the Mexicano Nation will unfold. In Frontera Falsa, originally published in 1992 by La Verdad Publications, we summed up the history of the border and our relationship to it as such:
“Since the brutal Mexican-American War of 1848, during which over half of México was stolen at gun point by the United States...Government, the crimes of the U.S. against the Chicano/Mexicano people are something they have tried their very best to obscure from the world. Very few people know the savage, bloodthirsty history of the Texas Rangers, who existed as an armed lynch posse to terrorize Mexicanos, other indigenous people and Africans into submission and to allow Anglo squatters to run Mexicanos off land we had farmed for generations...
“Very few know the true evolution of the Border Patrol, a more sophisticated version of the Texas Rangers, Klu Klux Klan, racist thug posses, and other anti-Raza law enforcement institutions that existed in the “Old West” and served to preserve the racist system- based on stolen land- through sheer terror and naked repression. The Border Patrol (better known to our community as “la migra”) came into existence in 1924. This was needed most of all to deal with the ever-heightening level of political struggle of Chicano Mexicanos throughout Aztlán in light of La Revolución Mexicana. There was heroic struggle of Raza on this side of the Gringo imposed border throughout the last half of the 19th century by great Raza patriots such as Juan “Cheno” Cortina in Texas, Las Gorras Blancas in Nuevo Mexico and other armed struggles...
“...Thus, a force like the Border Patrol was necessary as a special police force to intimidate our gente from organizing ourselves for our basic human rights and empowerment. This was all done under the guise of “protecting” a border that was illegally imposed at gun point in the first damn place!
“Most importantly, it has been la migra that, since 1924, has tried to maintain Raza as a docile, unorganized, scared labor force through overt terrorism. We only have to look at the militarized border (modeled after the Berlin Wall but made of steel), the constant raids in our neighborhoods, stores, and places of work, the killings that take place daily along the frontera and in the Chicano Mexicano community...”
We can see that these words originally written over five years ago are more true today than ever before. Clearly we see how things are speeding towards a total military state of siege for Raza, both in the United States and in México. In 1992, while conscious of the crisis facing nuestra Raza, we were not aware of just how correct we were in our analysis of la frontera.
Recently many reports and studies have been produced about the border and the consequences of its existence, but for us none have told the entire truth about the border until now. All other discussions about the border fall short of exposing the real role and purpose the border plays in the lives of those of us that live under its shadow. Some people will dismiss our claims and choose to continue to live a fantasy, denying what their own eyes see. For those of us that live in the real world, none will deny what 16 years of struggle, years of study, and months of research have brought to this document - the truth.
The future of all Mexicanos as a people, and our freedom as a nation, must now be measured on the liberation of the Occupied Territories/Aztlán. For all Mexicanos living in 1997, and for future generations of our children, the border today represents the death of our national dignity, the basis of our daily suffering, and the real and total enslavement of the Mexicano people.
The Anti-Mexicano Politics Of The U.S. Are Part Of A Overall Strategy To Keep Mexicanos Oppressed And Living In Misery...
Over 20 million Mexicanos today live in what is know today as the United States. Of those 20 million, 7.3 million are Mexican citizens, and of these 2.4 million are undocumented. Presently there are over 93 million Mexicanos living in what is today known as México. Together, there are 113 million Mexicanos living on both sides of the border. When we really think about this we see just how huge our population is- we are not in any way a minority but the complete majority in numbers. Even the most racist gringo or the most ignorant vendido recognize the massive size of our population. These same racists also recognizes how hard our gente work. The great majority of Mexicanos (at least 90% of us) work extremely hard just to get by. We work in the gringos’ factories, their businesses, and in their houses; we grow their food; we feed them in their restaurants; we take care of their children- we have done these things and more for them for at least the last 150 years. We have given up our pride, dignity, and humanity so that they can live a more comfortable life.
While it is easy to recognize our numbers and how hard we work, it is even easier to see just how much we scare the government of the United States and the general racist gringo population it represents. The U.S. government recognizes it cannot survive without exploiting our labor both here and in México. They also understand that sooner or later millions of Mexicanos, economically exploited and politically oppressed, will choose to defend ourselves, we will organize ourselves, we will liberate ourselves, and there will be no law, force, or government that will be able to stop us. They are the first ones to see just how powerful we will become when we get organized. The idea of us getting organized and united for Mexican Power is terrifying to them. They know very well that there is nothing they can do to control us- and it is this fear that is at the foundation of la frontera and all other anti-Mexicano politics of the day. This awareness of our future power and the fact that billions of dollars are made off of our oppression forms the basis of the past, present, and future attacks on La Raza.
The New Anti-Mexicano Laws Being Passed Are Meant To Control Our People Through Fear...
Just within the last several years hundreds of new openly anti-Mexicano laws have been proposed. Dozens have passed, and at the heart of every one of these news laws has been the white power dream of keeping Mexicanos in a state of virtual slavery- working for less than minimum wage, with no civil or human rights, without political power, and silently accepting our “burden” of not being born white. Here are a few examples of some more recent anti-Mexicano politics:
° Everyone knows about the anti-Mexicano Prop. 187 that was supported by the majority of the racist gringos of California...
All of these laws have been directed to “bring control to the border.” In reality we understand that the whole idea of “border enforcement” is a huge scam. Nothing that is said about border enforcement and immigration law is the truth- it is all really about making money and oppressing Mexicanos- this is the real base of the real illegal mafia activity around the border.
The Real Mafia Is The Washington D.C. Cartel
We have all heard how the U.S. government cries and screams about how México is totally corrupt and being run by the different drug mafia cartels that have gone around killing and making millions of dollars crossing drugs across la frontera. We know this is another shameless opportunist gringo lie. We know that the real mafia that controls la frontera from Brownsville to San Diego is not the Juarez Cartel, not the Gulf Cartel, nor the Sinaloa Cartel- the real mafia is the Washington D.C. Cartel. We have to understand that the true Capo - the real “Jefe de los Jefes” - is not El Señor de los Cielos, not el Güero Palma, nor Rafael Caro Quintero, but the real head that controls the true mafia is Uncle Sam.
All legal businesses, illegal businesses, and mafias along the border operate under the leadership of Uncle Sam. The entire situation at the border and all money making activities that occur there- both legal and illegal- produce unimaginable profits for the United States and those that work for it. Tremendous amounts of cash changes hands and flows into the pockets of hundreds of lying crooked politicians (both U.S. and Mexican), greedy business people (both U.S. and Mexican), everyday racist white trash, and the Mexican vendido petty bourgeoisie. Here are a few examples of the real mafias we are talking about:
The INS Mafia- The INS Is An Agency Dedicated To Finding New Ways To Dehumanize, Degrade, Attack, And Insult Our Gente...
The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) is one of the biggest anti-Mexicano mafias that exist today. This agency leads all that has to do with enforcing the immigration policy of the United States. Since the policy of the United States has always been to exploit and oppress Mexicanos, today the INS enforces this policy acting as the organization that on a daily bases finds new ways to dehumanize, degrade, attack, and insult our gente. The INS is in charge of deportations and about a million Raza are deported across the border every year. The INS organizes mass raids that have brutalized our gente in other states not along the border.
Beyond just deportation, the INS openly admits that only 40% of undocumented immigration occurs at the border with México while almost 90% of enforcement goes on this border. These INS sin vergüenza tapados knowingly say that more than half of undocumented immigration occurs away from the border. Mexicans make up 39% of undocumented immigrants in the US, but our gente are 90% of those arrested. For those people that are not yet convinced of the treachery of the INS Mafia, the sharpest example of this anti-Mexicano focus is the application process.
The INS receives from the U.S. government a budget of nearly 3 billion dollars a year. With this money the INS recently added 4,125 new jobs to its nationwide army of agents that raises this organizations total personnel to 19,000 persons. One would think that it would be a simple thing to get your immigration status straightened out through an agency with this many resources and workers at its disposal. The complete opposite is true. To start any process with the INS is a true nightmare for any Mexicano or Mexicana.
Every day our gente have to deal with incredibly huge lines and long waits. After waiting for many hours we are forced to deal with the most disrespectful racist workers, that insult you without punishment, lose your paperwork just because they feel like it, force you to wait longer than you have to, and if you react to their mistreatment they even get you arrested. Just to receive this terrible treatment usually costs Raza at least $1,400 (up $400 after a new law raised the fees INS charges). While INS raises its fees and its budget is increasing, applications for naturalization are behind by 300 thousand just in Los Angeles county alone, and the INS refuses to put more of its employees to process applications. Turn around time for processing papers is up to two years!
To make things worse and more difficult for Mexicanos, the INS now requires that all new applications to be processed in Cuidad Juarez. This means that all people who put in for their papers from now on have to go to Juarez to get processed. If you live in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose, Denver, Chicago, Albuquerque, Tucson, or Phoenix and you want to “fix” your papers, you have to go to Juarez for all the appointments INS gives you. Traveling costs and lost days of work are very serious problems for our gente who barely make it as it is, but imagine those of us who have to take our whole families to get processed!
Of that minimum $1,400 that every person must pay the INS just to begin processing, almost none of it goes to provide services to those getting processed. 95% of the money collected in fees for INS applications goes to pay for the mass raids and deportations of Mexicanos- this means for every Mexicano that pays the INS to fix his or her papers, they are actually paying for another Mexicano to be chased and treated like an animal. We also must consider that the INS spends the minimum $1,400 it receives from Mexicanos before they even look at the applications (remember the two year turn around time.). Even with all of these obstacles, from 1995 to 1996, over a million (1,049,867) persons got naturalized and the INS calculates that they will receive 1.8 million applications for naturalization this year.
Considering all of this, the INS Mafia serves two main purposes; the first is to attack Mexicanos. It is clear that they are successful in this first goal. The second main goal of the INS is just like any other mafia, to make money. How much does the INS stuff into the pockets of politicians and racist gringo workers? They get nearly 3 billion dollars a year from the government to start. The INS Mafia alone makes at least 2.5 billion dollars a year just in application fees.
The Border Mafia- The Border Exists To Make Gringos Filthy Rich And Keep Mexicanos Living In Misery...
Another huge mafia is the border itself. Whenever there is any discussion about the border, whether in the press or from statements from U.S. government agencies, the main policy and argument they uphold is that the U.S. must stop the “illegal” flow of drugs and undocumented people from crossing into “their” country- they claim that they “have the right to enforce their borders...” Today, this is one of the biggest lies facing the Mexicano people. The militarization of the border has nothing to do with stopping the flow of drugs or people- the INS itself admits that more than half of the illegal immigration into the U.S. occurs away from the border, and militarizing the border has not slowed the importation of drugs at all. The Border Mafia has two goals, 1) to make billions of dollars, and 2) to terrorize Raza into submission. Thousands of people- politicians, gringo workers, businesses owners, and multinational corporations- are becoming filthy rich with all of the recent enforcement plans of the border. The amount of money that the U.S. pours into “border enforcement” is overwhelming. Just from 1996 to 1997 “border enforcement” funding was as follows:
° 2.6 billion from the Clinton administration, that has increased funding to the INS by 72%;
Adding this total up, the government of the United States of America is spending at least 4.4 billion ($4,397,600,000!) dollars a year to “enforce the border.” Once again- 4.4 billion dollars a year for what gringos call “border enforcement” to stop the flow of “illegal drugs and people into the United States...” We say this is a lie! The truth is that the U.S. has no interest in stopping the “illegal flow of drugs and people” because this is their unending pool of wealth- both in the form of drug money and exploited labor. The annual 4.4 billion they spend on “border enforcement” could very well be used to double the budget of social services in the poorest states in México, and they would still have enough money to pay off all the narcotrafficantes of México, Perú, and Colombia to end their drug importation businesses.
The United States would never do that because they have been bringing in huge profits off of maintaining the border. The border has also been an important source of jobs for the gringo working class that has been displaced due to the movement of jobs south to México because of NAFTA. The U.S. government has rewarded the racist white working class with jobs in the law enforcement industry- one of the fastest growing industries in the United States. New prisons, the new laws to fill those prisons, and the militarization of the border are all part of the same package introduced in 1993 as the Omnibus Crime Bill or “Clinton Crime Bill.” Hundreds of thousands of working class gringos have been given jobs as cops, parole officers, correction officers, court employees etc. They have also been getting jobs as migra agents, INS agents, customs agents, etc.
The number of people working to “enforce border laws” are: over 6,000 border patrol agents; over 19,000 INS agents; over 4,600 soldiers are working counter-drug operations (That number is already increasing as the Pentagon takes on immigration.); and over 50 Special Forces soldiers. These numbers are increasing every day: Clinton was quoted saying that “We need 25 thousand border patrol to secure the border... This military option is the best short term solution to cover this lack of Border Patrol personnel.” There are ongoing joint operations of thousands of agents from at least 15 federal, state, and local agencies, including the INS; FBI; DEA; Coast Guard; Customs Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Internal Revenue Service; U.S. Marshals’ Service; U.S. Attorney’s Office; and the Secret Service; as well as the Department of Defense and the National Guard. This is known in the Pentagon as Joint Task Force 6 which was initiated by former President George Bush in 1989.
The power these agents have has also been expanded tremendously in the last few years. In new laws the INS and border patrol are authorized to use closed military bases as detention centers for Raza. Raza trying to cross have been stripped of all rights and people caught three times trying to cross are being incarcerated for a minimum of 3-5 years and a maximum of up to 20 years and fined up to 10,000 dollars. Among other powers recently granted to these agencies are the following:
- A contingency plan is in effect as an extension of Operation Distant Shores, which directed the military-run camps used to detain Cubans and Haitians in Panama and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Now, México has been added to the list of Distant Shores’ potential source countries, and the military will take over management of detention centers from the INS in the event of a Mexican “immigration emergency.”
The Washington D.C. Cartel And The Los Pinos Cartel Are One In The Same: The Mexican Government Works Openly As A Partner With The Gringos To Keep The Masses Of Mexicanos As Beasts Of Burden To Serve The Interests Of Gringo Capitalism
We have to be totally clear as to the role the Mexican Government plays in this whole situation- NAFTA, immigration, the border itself, misery and poverty for millions of Mexicanos are all direct products of a situation that the U.S. government has purposefully created in partnership with Mexican politicians. For decades, the different presidents of México have played the most disgusting, incompetent, sin vergüenza punk, vende-patria role that can be imagined. This total sell-out to Washington D.C. and gringo dollars is especially true with the whole North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) conspiracy. NAFTA is just a code word for the total bleeding of México and our people.
NAFTA originally began with the presidency of Lopez Portillo in 1976- under the “Plan Global de Desarrollo.” Later, especially under the presidency of Miguel De La Madrid, Mexican presidents not only ripped off millions from the Treasury for themselves, but they increased the “economic structural adjustments” that sunk millions more poor working Mexicans deeper into economic and social despair (De La Madrid also nationalized drug trafficking as a national industry). Finally under the “leadership” of El Pelón (Carlos Salinas de Gortari) the NAFTA conspiracy came into full bloom. By the middle of the Salinas de Gortari presidency the PRI had forced México to implement virtually all of the “structural adjustment” requirements required by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the U.S. in order to be first in line to be raped by foreign business vampires and the U.S. bankers. To be in good with these evil gringo bankers and foreign bloodsuckers the Mexican “government” did the following over several years (1989-1992): 1) forced a dramatic reduction in public/social expenditures such as for education and health care, 2) forced the elimination of internal subsidies, 3) removed protective tariffs, 4) restricted credit, 5) privatized most state enterprises, 6) devalued the peso, 7) removed “barriers” to foreign investment such as workers’ safety laws and environmental regulations, and 8) imposed “competitive” wages.
Remember, these “economic reforms” were voluntary to countries that wished to enter into the economic partnership with the U.S. Of course, the Los Pinos Cartel was the first in line to comply. As per the wishes of Uncle Sam, the Mexican leadership, wrapping themselves in the Mexican flag, brought about the “Mexican miracle”- more ignorance and disease; less independent farming; the theft of good land; no ejidos; more dependence on gringo merchandise; no economic, cultural, nor political independence; they limited by law the amount of stolen Mexican riches that stay in México; more poverty and hunger for millions of Mexicanos; billions in profits for the privileged and of course, the gringos; cheap docile workers with no rights; and more billions in profits for the gringos. All of this fit nicely into the international economic plans of Uncle Sam- poverty and misery for the Mexicano working class means extreme amounts of profits for the gringo capitalists.
Thus, this was the real situation in México at the end of the Salinas presidency. México was “the model” the rest of Latin America was to follow. At the time billions of dollars were being made in México, and it seemed like there was no end to the riches we could produce for capitalists of the world to enjoy. Suddenly, in Dec. of 1994 the whole house of cards came tumbling down... Overnight the entire Mexican economy crashed and billions of dollars began to pour out of México though the open wounds that foreign vampire businessmen left as they fled with their bags full of money. Millions of poor working Mexicanos woke up to the news that our country was totally bankrupt. People were stunned, as we watched our jobs, savings, and security disappear. The country turned to the new incoming president, Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon for the answers (He had campaigned as the “big reformer” in the shadow of political assassinations and stolen elections.). What does this government “of the people” do to bring México out of the economic crisis- they propose the “Zedillo Austerity program.”
Zedillo immediately admitted that “...the social unrest is caused by the economic crisis, but if we do not apply these measures, the social costs will be much worse.” Zedillo continued; “The economic emergency situation will impose sacrifices on all of us... México faces grave economic problems that will unavoidably affect our standard of living, reduce our real earnings and demand additional efforts of each and every one of us.” Yeah right! This “caring” president then went ahead and imposed his “austerity plan” and from one day to the next: inflation was forced up to at least 42 percent, wage increases were frozen, sales taxes were increased from 10 percent to 15 percent, government-controlled gasoline prices were increased 35 percent, residential gas and electric rates were increased over 20 percent, the cost of dry goods was increased by at least 20 percent, new domestic credit was tightly restricted, and the country’s four principal ports were sold on the auction block. Remember, this was done as an “Austerity Plan.” (Austerity means “little or no room for pleasure; harsh, severe.” They should have called it the “Fuck México Plan.”)
After the new Zedillo administration imposed its “austerity plan” and brought about new levels of misery and poverty throughout México, this government was given a stamp of approval by the U.S. government. Uncle Sam patted Zedillo on the head and congratulated him on doing a good job sinking the masses of Mexicanos deeper into poverty. As a reward for faithful service in the name of gringo power, Clinton and his government decided to save the Mexican government from its own traitorous incompetence with a cash prize of $50 billion dollars. On the 22nd of February 1995 Clinton explained: “We have done the right thing. Mexico is taking some very courageous steps, difficult steps, for them... I think that time will bear us out. And, if it doesn’t, then we have very good collateral on this deal.” The collateral he was talking about was Petroleros Mexicanos (PEMEX)- in case of a Mexican default on the 50 billion the U.S. would take over PEMEX. The gringo press upheld Zedillo as having “genuine political responsibility.” Immediately foreign investment began to flow back into México.
Meanwhile there was no relief for the masses of working Mexicanos. Once again, so that it is clear what was happening, here is the order: 1) Dec. of 1994 the Mexican economy crashed when foreign investors pulled their money out of the country. 2) In order to repair this situation the Mexican government punished the Mexican people by imposing an inhuman “austerity plan.” 3) The gringos reward the Mexican government with 50 billion dollars. 4) This convinced foreign vampire businessmen to reinvest their money (at huge profits due to the austerity plan). Once the economy began to “recover” did the Mexican government use any of the 50 billion to aid the millions of starving Mexicanos? No! The PRI, under the leadership of Zedillo, decided to repay the gringo millionaire bankers three years ahead of schedule! This is incredible- the Mexican government did not even consider the possibility of using any of this money to feed the hungry, cure the sick, or shelter the homeless- no, they used the money given from the United States to pay back the United States. On top of that, this little money exchange cost the Mexican people $1.4 billion in interest- it cost us 1.4 billion dollars just to hold the money for a little while. The Zedillo government also decided to prepay $1.5 billion of a $17 billion loan from the IMF, the biggest such disbursement made in IMF history. This of course made the gringo bankers and foreign vampire businessmen extremely happy.
Thus, we have the terrible conditions that presently exist (and continue to worsen) in México that have been directly created by the United States in partnership with the traitorous corrupt Mexican government. It is these reactionary perro forces that have created the conditions that force our gente to come north just to survive- just to escape the terrible life “our government” has created throughout México!
“Los Gobernadores [de México] Son Los Principales Interesados En Que Sus Paisanos No Sufran Ningún Tipo De Inclemencias Que Eventualmente Puede Costarles La Vida...”
Trying to cover their total capitulation to their gringo bosses the Mexican government never misses a chance to come out “in defense” of Mexicanos suffering under the direct oppression of U.S. anti-Mexicano law. In an interview with La Opinión on the 20th of August, when asked how the government struggles to protect its citizens that are dying while trying to cross into the United States, José Angel Gurria, head of La Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores, responded: “La Secretaria works closely with la Secretaria de Gobernación, warning immigrating communities of the risks those persons run if they intend to cross...” This information campaign is recognized by the Mexican government as the fundamental component in its strategy to keep Mexicano citizens from dying at the hands of the migra. Gurria explains that flyers (not food) are distributed in poverty stricken municipalities, and for those who can’t read the government even provides the service of forums at which these “how to cross safely” flyers are read to the people... “Los gobernadores son los principales interesados en que sus paisanos no sufran ningún tipo de inclemencias que eventualmente puede costarles la vida...” Gurria proclaimed to La Opinion. It is clear to us the real intentions behind this smoke screen of “caring politicians.” Instead of dedicating itself to providing jobs, services, and security to our gente, the Mexican government educates us on how to best leave the country. Instead of teaching us to read, the government reads out information about how to best cross the border to live as animals under the rule of racist gringos.
The Mexican government does not limit its sick disgusting activities to just national politics, but has also reached new levels of corruption that has turned into a sort of national “telenovela” that includes everything from drugs, sex, and murder. The Mexican government itself is a circus of idiot criminals running around killing and stealing without shame nor punishment- here are just a few of the recent examples:
- The governor of Morelos, Jorge Carillo Olea, and the ex-governor of Sonora, Manlio Fabio Beltrones (he recently resigned), have both been openly linked to the drug trade by U.S. intelligence reports.
Finally, as if to not be left out of the corruption merry-go-round, the Mexican military has proven that they just don’t spend all their time just trying to destroy the EZLN and the EPR:
- General Jesús Gutiérrez Rebollo was busted for working for the narcotrafficantes, while heading the Instituto Nacional para el Combate a las Drogas (INCD- the Mexican agency dedicated to combating the drug trade). General Gutiérrez Rebollo says he was working under the orders of his superiors of the Secretaria de la Defensa Nacional (SEDENA). He also implicated his gringo bosses in the DEA of the United States.
U.S. policy towards México represents the unity of two rotten evil mafias posing as governments. The partnership between the U.S. government and the Mexican government is clear. It is a partnership between mafias that work to deal drugs, rip-off México, and to exploit and oppress the masses of Mexicanos on either side of the border. The clearest example of this was the whole struggle around the opportunist debate of recertification for “allies in the drug war” that the U.S. has taken in the last few years. When the question of México came up, the debate became a stupid charade. Senate Minority Leader Thomas Daschle is quoted saying: “Cooler heads are beginning to prevail... There’s not much to be gained by kicking Mexico in the groin.” The three reasons used to defend recertification for México were 1) anti-American sentiment from México, 2) increased drug-trafficking, and 3) a drop in foreign investment there. The extent and depth of corruption can be understood since drugs funnel as much as $30 billion a year into the Mexican economy, more than the country’s top two legitimate exports (including oil). President Clinton’s recertification of México was decided as “a cooperative ally in fighting drugs” in the face of all the scandals and examples of corruption. The Mexican drug economy is as important to the U.S. as it is to México.
The fundamental question of the border is really money. The huge amounts of money that changes hands because of la frontera is incredible, and has made the gringo bankers, the foreign vampire businessmen, and the Mexican bourgeoisie super rich. Here is a short list of just the amounts covered in this article (We know that the real amount is much more than what we have here):
- 140 billion a year is made from NAFTA,
We Pay For The Washington D.C. Cartel:
Where does all of this incredible wealth come from? Who pays for all of these terrible things that happen because of the existence of la frontera? We do. The masses of Mexicanos that work every day and struggle just to survive. Raza workers have a direct effect in forming the pedestal upon which gringos can have their easy jobs. We also lower the prices of products we produce and the food we grow. We also recognize the indirect positives for gringos, such a Raza women serving as house maids and child care- this frees up huge amounts of families to increase their feria by opening it up for two incomes. With our sweat and blood others are becoming filthy rich, and they still attack us.
In México, Raza living in Aztlán have tremendous effects also. For every working age Mexicano and Mexicana that is sweating washing dishes or picking lettuce in Aztlán there is one less guerrillero or guerrillera in México struggling to free our gente. Raza workers in the U.S. send 5 billion dollars a year into Mexico- this makes “immigration money” the third most important “industry” in México- only behind petroleum and tourism.
The Real Situation For 113 Million Mexicanos Who Work And Suffer Just To Live
When we look at the real situation in México we see that the terrible inhuman conditions that we live with are a direct result of the “governments” of México and the United States. These are the real conditions that have sharpened in the last three years:
- real wages in México have dropped over 45%;
Testimonies
While the great majority of Mexicanos live like animals we are also treated like animals on a daily basis- our life of total oppression and despair is not limited to Mexican sordomudos. To bring these numbers to life here are three testimonies of Raza and their nightmares at la frontera:
From Los Desaparecidos- a report from the AFSC Immigration Law Enforcement Monitoring Project- Testimony of Mario Alvarenga
“...This time we made it across the river. It was midnight, and our guide took us to the railroad tracks. We tried to jump up on a passing train.... In that moment I was caught by an intense beam of light, I think it was the migra. The train kept moving, but the light blinded me. Since I didn’t have a good grip, I slipped off. It was the worst thing that could have happened to me... As I fell from the moving train, my legs went between the rails and the wheels of the train. Everything was very fast, very painful. I saw a passing car and yelled so that they could hear me. It was the migra. They told me... if I died they would bury me right there.
When I woke up the next day, I had lost my left leg and three toes from the other one. After six days in the hospital they told me I could go. They gave me crutches and a bagful of medicines. [I went]... to a church where they said I could get some help. I couldn’t stand the pain... the minister told me I couldn’t stay there... I asked him to call immigration- I thought they might help me. They arrived... and took me to one of their offices... They took down some information and about 2:00 in the morning the next day they tried to turn me into the street because they were closing up... I told them to look at my condition, I couldn’t walk and my whole body was in pain. Besides I had nowhere to go. They told me to go to the park... I wept because I could not believe what was happening to me.”
January 13, 1997 - From the mountains East of San Diego
Jesus Jimenez married his longtime sweetheart, Osvelia Tepec Jimenez, in a village in Guerrero, México two weeks before coming north. Jimenez, 26, had been making the trip north to work as a farm worker in Fresno since 1989 because there were no jobs and no ways to make a living in Guerrero. This time the cross was going to be especially difficult because of Operation Gatekeeper- the new plan the migra was using to force Raza to cross through the extremely dangerous East County of San Diego. Jesus had been crossing the border for years but never through the mountainous East County. He warned his new wife that the trip would be difficult. “But she said she was my wife and that she had to be with me,” explained Jesus Jimenez, his eyes filling with tears...
While they were crossing they got caught in a snow storm that made conditions terrible for them. Osvelia walked for more than 20 hours in this storm that never let up. When Osvelia could no longer walk, Jesus and his three younger brothers took turns carrying the 115-pound woman on their backs for the next five hours. Her condition grew worse as the hours passed. “She kept saying she was cold, tired and that her feet hurt,” Jimenez said. “After a while she could barely speak when we asked her how she felt.” He carried her for hours with her hands wrapped tightly around him. As the hours slipped by the temperature dropped. Her hands slowly lost their grip. Osvelia Tepec Jimenez, the 20-year-old bride of Jesus Jimenez, died in his arms.
Violence And Death At The Border & Border Justice- An Everyday Reality...
In the last few years thousand of examples of migra terrorism have been documented. The suffering and violence that we suffer as a people because we are Mexicanos continues to increase every day. Here are some of the most terrible examples:
° On July 27th - 31st in Chandler, Arizona, complaints of Border Patrol and police arresting and detaining U.S. Citizens during a round up of 432 Raza were filed. Raza victims explain that “It was based on the color of our skin and the clothes we were wearing... I was speaking Spanish to my children.”
Conclusion
To all those who read this article, it should serve as a call to join us in building an organization capable of defending our gente from these brutal attacks. There is no other way to survive these terrible conditions- things are just going to get worse and if we are not organized then we must expect the worst for our future as a people. We call on all people who: 1) are sick of Proposition 187, “Immigration Reform,” Proposition 209, “Welfare Reform,” “Three Strikes,” “Operation Gatekeeper,” and all the other anti-Mexicano laws being passed every day, 2) will not accept Pete Wilson, Newt Gingrich, Bill Clinton, Pat Buchanan, and all of the other anti-Mexicano lying crook politicians who control the U.S. Government, 3) can’t tolerate seeing our México suffer under the most violent, unstable, shameful, and desperate times since Porfirio Díaz while U.S. companies smash our national dignity and profit off of our misery, 4) will not stay quiet watching our youth lose all hope, respect, and culture while filling up the prisons and graveyards of this country, 5) will no longer live their lives being ashamed of being Mexicano or Mexicana but are willing to plug into concrete struggle to better our community for ourselves and by ourselves, today!
Clinton will not save us. Newt Gingrich will spit on us. The PRI and the PAN will only sell us out. Today, the PRD is not capable of dealing with these problems. Unión del Barrio understands that only a revolutionary organization and liberation struggle can sweep away all the rotten elements that exist in our society today. We also understand that the only hope for the great majority or our gente to live with dignity and unity will be under a society organized for the benefit of all people- not just the privileged few. We believe that revolution and socialism is the answers to these problems that are destroying our people and our nation.
To each one of us that no longer choose to be a slave- and those of us that will not tolerate the enslavement of our gente- it is our responsibility to build an organization that can and will organize, defend, and liberate us! Join Unión del Barrio today!
¡Que Viva México Libre, Reunificado, Y Socialista!
° Prop. 209 denies Raza and all non-whites- regardless of citizenship- equal access to a college education...
° The “Immigration Reform Law” has brought more intense levels of insecurity and fear into our communities...
° The “Welfare Reform Law,” the “3-Strikes Law,” and the Clinton Crime Bill, are all designed to impose a more intense poverty on our communities, while herding thousands more of us into U.S. prisons and graveyards...
° Congressman Brian Bilbray of San Diego has proposed the “Citizen Reform Act” that would deny citizenship to children born to undocumented Raza. This law attacks Raza babies that aren’t even born yet...
° Signatures for Anti-Bilingual education legislation are being collected and will go up for a vote in 1998. They have to get together 433 thousand signatures for the purpose of ending bilingual education- something that the republicans (Pete Wilson, Newt Gingrich, etc.) say is bad for the “latino population.” Since when have the republicans been concerned about what is best for Mexicanos?...
° On March 20, 1997 the House voted to allow states to deny schooling for children of “illegal aliens” and to block federal welfare benefits for American-born children of “illegal aliens,” basically laying the foundation for a national Prop. 187...
° On July 10, 1997 prenatal care was suspended to pregnant Mexicana women...
° New INS laws regarding legal and illegal immigration have been passed that take more rights away from Raza while giving more power to the government to terrorize us...
° And new border laws have declared military rule of the border and surrounding communities.
° 584.8 million to the border patrol for 1996 an increase of 35%;
° 7.1 million was allocated for border technology and a helicopter;
° 30.9 million for “lookout equipment;”
° 25 million for general construction;
° 7 million for “infrastructure improvement;”
° 4.3 million for a new triple fence in San Diego;
° 4.3 million for Operation Rio Grande;
° 11 million for a new INS detention center;
° 2.7 million for a new border patrol training facility;
° 12 million to extend and reinforce the triple fence in San Diego.
° $800 million to “enforce the drug trafficking laws” from the Pentagon;
° $260 million from the Department of Defense for transfers of military technology and equipment;
And under the lie of “drug enforcement” the U.S. has given away to the Mexican government the following:
° $37 million in helicopters and reconnaissance aircraft;
° $10 million for night vision and “command/control equipment;”
° $1.25 million to the Procudoria General de la Republica (PGR- the Mexican FBI which is famous for its own drug trafficking adventures); and
° $250,000 in computer equipment, training and software to México from the US State Department.
- The Pentagon has turned over to the Border Patrol and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies much of the excess equipment used during and after the Vietnam War, including Blackhawk helicopters, heat sensors, night vision telescopes and electronic intrusion detection devices.
- The INS practices responding to an “immigrant invasion from México”. They practice erecting cyclone-fence corrals, herding “immigrants” through them for emergency processing and loading us onto bus convoys for travel to mass detention centers. Raza eventually could be held in prisons, military bases or tent cities.
- Thomas Constantine of the DEA went on record with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee subcommittee on México that there is not one law enforcement agency in México that the DEA trusts.
- Zedillo has been linked to the assassination of José Francisco Ruiz Massieu. The PGR announced that they are investigating Carlos Altamirano Toledo (a key Zedillo official before the “election” and today works as an advisor and right hand man to Zedillo) for offering high government posts to those who participated in the assassination of the dead PRI official.
- An Ex-federal police agent testified that he gave Mario Ruiz Massieu (brother of the guy Zedillo had murdered) two bags full of drug money while he was deputy attorney general. Further investigation implicate the Salinas de Gortari family as being part of a drug ring of which Mario Ruiz Massieu was a member. Raúl Salinas Lozano, father of Carlos Salinas de Gortari, was accused of being the drug ring leader.
The courts- the “enforcers of the law” - are an ongoing joke... Here are some recent examples of the long arm of Mexican law:
- In March of 1997 a federal judge in Tijuana dropped weapons charges against Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán- leader of a Sinaloa cartel.
- In April a federal panel over-turned the 40 year sentence of Rafael Caro Quintero, who was accused of killing DEA rata double agent Enrique Camarena.
- In June a federal judge in Guadalajara slashed El Güero Palma’s six year sentence to 2.5 years and a judge in Hermosillo threw out cocaine charges against Palma. Other kidnapping and homicide charges have been dismissed since he was busted in June of 1995 while being protected by 33 federal police that were on his payroll.
- Senior DEA officials have been quoted as saying that the Mexican federal court “...is for sale or rent...”
- A judge in Guadalajara overturned a 30-year sentence against Miguel Angel Beltrán Lugo, accused hit man for the Guadalajara cartel who had been convicted of kidnapping, homicide, and assault.
- In mid May of 1997 General Antonio Ramón Mimendi and at least 8 soldiers under his command were confined at a military base in San Luis Rio Colorado for stealing 473.3 kilos of cocaine. 7 state workers of Sonora have also been implicated, and the cocaine has yet to be found.
- Coronel Pablo Castellanos was recently accused of participating in a cover up of military participation in drug trafficking. Involved in this cover up was Irma Lizzette Ibarra, who was assassinated on the streets of Guadalajara before she could testify in court what she knew. Irma was the lover of General Vinicio Santoyo Feria- also implicated in this military cover up- who was in charge of the same military zone in Jalisco as general Jesús Gutiérrez Rebollo, but who died in May of 1996.
- A journalist in the state of Oaxaca in May 1996 disclosed that the Mexican army historically has owned large plots of land on which the army has grown much of its food. The journalist claimed it was common knowledge among many Mexicans that the army grows and sells drugs, including marijuana, from these lands, or protects others who grow it on army property.
- 4.4 billion a year to enforce la frontera,
- 2.5 billion a year in INS application fees,
- 30 billion a year in drug sales (just in México- the amount of profit for the U.S. is not included but is much higher),
- 5 billion a year in money sent to México from Raza in the U.S., and
- 10 billion a year in money generated from the exploitation of undocumented Raza working in the U.S.
At least 192 billion ($192,000,000,000!) dollars a year is generated from maintaining the border as it is today.
- millions of impoverished Mexicans earn about $2 a day;
- at least 30 thousand Mexican businesses have been forced to close since 1995;
- 75 million Mexicans exist below the line of poverty with 47 million of us living in extreme poverty;
- the external debt has increased by 30 billion dollars;
- 85% of Mexicanos- 79 million of us- live with malnutrition;
- 8.5 million Mexicanos suffer “severe” to “extreme” malnutrition;
- from 1988 to 1994 nearly 20% of the population (over 17 million people) survived on less than $350 per person per year;
- one of the richest men in México ($6 billion) actually totals more than the annual income of the poorest 17 million people combined;
- infant deaths due to malnutrition tripled during 1980 - l992;
- each year 158,000 Mexican children under 5 years of age die from diseases related to malnutrition. This means that 433 of our children die every day because there is nothing to eat.
° The Riverside beating: In ¡LA VERDAD! we printed the following: “On Monday, April 1, 1996, around 12 noon, millions of people... were witness to the brutal-sadistic beating of two Mexicanos by pigs from the Riverside County Sheriffs Department... A news helicopter crew captured on video tape the vicious attack... against defenseless Mexicanos who were offering absolutely no resistance.” The two Mexicanos that were beaten were Enrique Funes and Alicia Soltero. Alicia Soltero explained the attack as such: “I was too scared to run. When the pick-up truck stopped, everyone yelled, run! run! But I didn’t. I told the agents ‘I’m here,’ I didn’t run. I didn’t do anything wrong. I just simply came here to work... The agents used atrocious words of hate. I don’t speak English, but I could feel their hatred. It wasn’t important to them that I couldn’t understand them. They beat me. They beat me on my legs. They beat me on my back, where I still feel the pain. They pulled my hair. They beat me like if I was an animal.”
° The 20th of May, 1997- Near El Paso, Texas. An 18 year old Mexicano, while he took care of his goats was shot dead with a M-16 by a group of Marines assigned to stop drug traffickers. Government officials say that Ezequiel Hernandez- who was a U.S. Citizen- attacked the fully armed and outfitted marines with his twenty two rifle. A Marine Corps General was quoted saying that corporal Clementino Bañuelos, who murdered Ezequiel Hernandez, “did nothing wrong.” On the 14 of August a federal grand jury made up of two inspectors from the customs service, a sub-commander of the migra, and another ex-migra agent found Bañuelos “not guilty” of any crime and he was cleared of any wrongdoing.
° Jan. 24th, 1997- Near Brownsville, Texas- another Mexicano, Cesario Vásquez Acuña, was wounded from a shot fired by a green beret. He was then charged for assaulting the green beret and was sentenced to 15 years in prison with a five hundred thousand dollar fine.
° So far in 1997 at least 80 people have been reported dead trying to cross the border.
° At least 1,185 deaths of Mexicanos at the border have been reported. This was reported by the University of Houston, Center of Investigation on Immigration. They admit this is a tremendously conservative/low number. This does not include thousands of others that are not reported or detected as bodies are lost in the mountains, washed out to sea, or not reported to the agencies that count these deaths. Many more deaths of Mexicanos occur away from the border, and these have not been included in this number. A quick comparison along the Texas border of the registered number of deaths reported as immigration related and those recorded in local government administrative logs shows a difference of 240%. In other words, the real number of deaths from 1993 to 1996 could be closer to 3,000. This means that at least three Mexicanos die along the border per day- one more dead Mexicano or Mexicana every eight hours!
° On a regular basis beatings of Mexicano men, women and children are being reported. A common migra practice after beatings is that they regularly withhold medical attention as they torture Raza into “confessing” that they are Mexicano- sometimes they just push injured Raza back across the line without medical attention to their injuries.
° Pepper spraying is an accepted daily practice of migra for those people who are not totally submissive to their power.
° Although it is illegal for migra to create high speed chases they do it anyway, and these chases generally end in the injury and/or death of Mexicanos.
° When it comes to their new Ford Broncos, the migra does not hesitate to use these vehicles as rams to run down Raza who try to escape by foot.
° The migra makes a habit of treating us like lower animals. Mexicano men and women of all ages are constantly held in large numbers in these Broncos for extended periods in over 100 degree heat.
° The INS commonly stuffs twice the number of Raza on their buses than they should, while some are forced to stand up in these vehicles for periods of up to 15 hours- all in intense heat and without water- forget about food and bathrooms. Sometimes our gente are chained while they suffer this torture at the hands of the migra and INS.
° Small children are often separated from their families and deported to México- left by themselves to find their way around border cities like Juarez and Tijuana.
° Excessive force and verbal abuse go together with these other abuses and are expected and accepted, with agents of the Border Patrol calling us everything like “Mexican mother fuckers,” “dirty Mexicans,” “beaners,” etc. while they hand-cuff us in the most dehumanizing and painful way.
° Threats to children and parents are well documented- INS and migra agents separate the youngsters from their parents and question the parents threatening that they will be separated from their children if they do not confess or sign papers for voluntary deportation.
° According to the AFSC, an agency that documents these occurrences, these situations are increasing extremely rapidly. Also on the rise according to the AFSC are reports of Border Patrol and INS agents withholding water and food from detained Raza for periods up to 18 to 38 hours.
° Every day agents confiscate legal papers of Mexicanos with no good reason other than “they feel like it.” These papers are easily thrown away or “lost” by agents that feel absolutely no shame harassing and dehumanizing our people- on the contrary, some truly enjoy the job they do! We have to be clear, that these things happen to all Raza- regardless if you have papers or not...
° Of course, we have to consider all the more subtle harassment that takes place as the millions of Raza cross the border on a daily basis. These things include being subjected to searches of our selves or our vehicles because of the way we look, being sent to the secondary search area for having a “bad attitude,” and just being detained and separated from our companions with no clear legal rights what-so-ever. Just in 1996 there were 280 million registered border crossings so we can imagine all of the abuse that doesn’t get reported!
° The Migra acts with relative impunity in that they never pay for the terrible things they do to our gente. Most just remove or cover their name badges so that they can’t be reported. They threaten Raza that if they report abuse they will kill our beat them- and many times follow up these threats with action. Those migras who do get reported almost never suffer the slightest punishment or sanction for their actions- even when they are guilty of murder.