Central American Migrants at 'Lecherias', Mexico

In Spring of 2008, I was in Mexico on a Fulbright grant, working on my 'health and immigration policy in North America' project. During this time I made several field trips to the Railroad tracks (Las Vias, or Lecherias) just outside of Mexico City, where Central American Migrants hop on the cargo train north, to the US-Mexico Border. I went with fellow activists, Paty and Anita, who had been working for months with the migrants at "Las Vias" alongside the Human Rights Commission of the State of Mexico.  Paty is a local activist, Anita is a lawyer and fellow Fulbrighter.

(left to right) Paty, me, Anita

The vast majority of migrants that come through Las Vias (at southern end of rail map below), in the STate of  Mexico are from Central America and are traveling to a US (and occasionally Canadian) destination.

Rail Map:  Lecherias is north of Mexico City.

Patricia (Paty) Camarena is a local activist who visits the rail tracks/Las Vias 3-5 times a week, bringing food, clothes, medical supplies,  and even advice and prayers about how to get on the train without getting killed.  Paty is Anita's contact and it is she that takes us out to Las Vias.  She is motivated to help the Central American migrants passing through her 'back yard' because her brother disappeared about 8 years ago, at the age of 28, when migrating from Mexico to the US.  Since then, she has been working with the Central American migrants where she lives in the city of Ecatepec, in the state of Mexico.   We arrive at her house at about 9am, after taking an hour taxi-ride direct from the Condesa to her house in Ecatepec. 

Pati  has been up all night, only sleeping about 3 hours, cooking rice, beans and potatoes/hot dogs for the migrants.  She takes us to her computer, where she shows us hundreds of photos, and some video, of the migrants hopping the train, and those individuals she has helped over the years, as well as other individuals who she has developed ties with, ranging from the local coyotes (migrant smugglers) and bomberos (firemen) and Comision de Derechos Humanos (CDH- Human Rights Commission), as well as other local women bringing food, and researchers/applied professionals such as myself and Anita.  Some of the photos are very graphic - loss of limb, injury due to beatings (several pictures at the end of this blog).

 
Offering meals to migrants at Las Vias/Lecherias.

Photo by Paty Camarena

We typically arrived at the Vias at around 11am, with large containers of rice, beans, potatoes, tortillas, water.  The migrants lined up and we served them food and water.  It was all very orderly and they were very respectful and thankful for the food.  On average we served from 100-150 migrants a meal and water each day....

One day, the food went fast- LOTS of migrants, even two women in the group under the highway pass.  The migrants are so well-mannered, as soon as we say ‘a comer, bien formados’ they line up and take whatever food we give them.  Today it was rice, beans, tortillas, boiled egg, and a potato pancake.  We ran out and ended up buying food from the torta/taco man who sells to the migrants for at least an additional 13 people.  One day, there were so many people who showed up- close to 200, that we could only feed about 150.   I paid for tacos from a nearby vendor for the other 50 @ 2 tacos each for $1.

EAch time we were at Lecherias, representatives from the state of Mexico Human Righs Commission (CDH) were there to support us and record the services provided by Pati and the CDH.  The CDH had very little in the way of medical supplies lacking even the following: bandages, tape, alcohol, peroxide, electrolytes, pain medication, aspirin, alkaseltzer, etc. 

After we served the food and treated the most urgent medical problems, we sat around and waited for the train.  Often, Paty and Anita would identify minors and migrants requiring legal and/or medical advice, and then arrange for a taxi to take them to nearby service agency (in so doing, we could not directly offer the migrant cash or use of our cell phones).  Paty would also offer advice about how to get on the train, and what to do when arriving further north.

"Typical" migrant gear, the baseball cap, backpack and cardboard.

Resting before catching the cargo train.

On one visit one of the migrants was practicing jumping on the train and he fell, scraping his knee (there was a bit of blood and gravel was embedded in the wound); nothing too serious, but it needed to be cleaned and treated to avoid infection.  We did the best we could with the CDH supplies, but it was not a good bandage job as they used cotton instead of a real bandage, and the cotton embedded itself in the wound- a recipe for infection. 


A Red Cross ambulance came by and they took a look at the migrant’s wound, but would not treat him, saying that he had to go to the hospital with them to get the wound properly cleansed if he wanted it treated, they wouldn’t do it right in the field.  I found this odd, that the ambulance paramedics didn’t have the capacity to triage the injury in the field; Paty said it wasn't a matter of capacity but prejudice, and that one of the paramedics had an attitude that he did not want to treat the migrants.

The beast.

At about 2pm, the migrants started getting ready for the train, packing up what little gear they had (most were traveling with nothing but the clothes on their backs) and filling their water bottles and stretching out their muscles.  They began to line up on one side of the tracks, where it is easier to jump on the train.  The train was late and the tension was rising as they waited.  Finally, after being loaded with cargo cars, the train pulled out of the ‘garitas’ (gates) and began to move through the underpass where all the migrants were waiting.  It was moving pretty slow, and most of the men managed to jump on and find a spot to sit. 

Migrants attempt to board...

There were no accidents except in the case of this Mexican couple from VeraCruz who were traveling to Chihuahua to work, and had had an accident and lost their car, and were now jumping the train because they had no money or other way of getting north.  The woman had a hard time jumping on the train, even though it was moving pretty slow.  On the first try, she fell and her husband/partner threw his body on hers to make sure she didn’t fall under the train.  It was pretty scary, but they were not seriously hurt and so got up and managed to hop on successfully the second time.  Unfortunately, at that point, the train stopped and started moving backwards, back into the garitas.  Apparently, it was a false start and it was to be loaded with more cargo.  Since the migrants will get busted if they are caught on the train once it passes through the garitas, they had to jump off and wait for it to come back through again.  This time, however, when the train came through, it was going extremely fast and very few were able to jump on.

Success at catching the train.

Most of the migrants are young men, occasionally women, and close to 80% from Honduras.

Today, as the train pulled out, we saw a lot more women on the train as it pulled out; there are obviously other places along the VIAS/rails where people are hanging out, waiting for the train.  Perhaps the underpass where we give out food is seen as too ‘busy’ w’lots of male migrants and so women stay away from those areas?

Young Honduran migrants traveling to the US.

On several visits I brought medical supplies and provided some very basic first aid.  Gave out a whole bottle of advil and half a pack of migraine medicine to those presenting with (‘dolores de la cabaza y el estomago y los musculos’) headache, stomachache, flu/gripa, golpes/blows from falls/train, etc.  I also treated a few small wounds with alcohol, peroxide and Neosporin, providing bandaides and taping up a few sprained ankles, knees, and a wrist.   They were asking for: aspirin for headache, flu/gripa medicine, stomach ache/food poisoning, fever, red eyes/visine, blistered feet, athletes feet, etc.  There is also a problem with skin infections, ear aches.


Photo by Paty Camarena

Anita talking with several young migrants.

Photo by Paty Camarena

Photo by Paty Camarena

The vast majority of migrants are young men from Honduras, about 80% at least, and the rest from Guatemala (and a few Mexicans).  They are migrants to all points in the North: San Francisco, Los Angeles (Inglewood), Seattle, Vancouver Canada, Houston, New York, New Jersey.

Each field trip was pretty intense because I felt a bit like a fraud (I am a sociologist, not a medical doctor!) and I felt like I just did NOT have the supplies and the organization I needed to take care of the aches and pains of the migrants….  I was even persuaded to give my socks to a migrant whose feet were blistered and had no socks…. I managed to retain my tennis shoes at the very least, even though another migrant asked me for them (again!) – I have such big feet for a girl (they never ask Anita or Paty)!

Below are some (increasingly graphic) images of the serious health problems migrants encounter along the transit, ranging from blistered feet to loss of limb....

PLEASE NOTE:  THESE IMAGES GET INCREASINGLY GRAPHIC....

Blisters and fungus infection from walking and water exposure



Suturing wounds from beating.  Photo by Paty Camarena

Wounds from beating. Photo by Paty Camarena

VERY GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW- DO NOT LOOK IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO BLOOD

Pati also told us about the previous day, when a migrant fell from the train and his foot was run over, requiring medical care and eventual amputation of part of the foot, she took the man to several different hospitals before she found one who would accept him because he is not legally in the country and he couldn’t pay.  The law says that hospitals must treat all people coming in, regardless of legal status and ability to pay, if they are in ‘critical’ condition.  Apparently, bleeding profusely from a mutilated limb is not ‘critical’ enough for many hospitals.  The following photos are of a loss of arm and leg from falling off the train. 

VERY GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW- DO NOT LOOK IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO BLOOD




VERY GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW- DO NOT LOOK IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO BLOOD

 

Photo by Paty Camarena

Photo by Paty Camarena

Photo by Paty Camarena

Citizens or Consumers? Mexican Seasonal Agricultural Workers in Leamington, Canada

On Sunday August 9, 2009, at approximately 10pm, 41 year old Abraham Soto-Lopez was killed on impact after being struck by a car on Road 3 East in Kingsville-Leamington, Ontario Canada.  Despite wearing a shirt with reflectors while riding his bicycle - a common mode of transportation for the thousands of Mexicans who work in Essex County greenhouses each year -he was struck and left for dead on the side of the road.    Soto-Lopez had been in Canada eight months trying to earn money to support his wife and several children back in Mexico.  Soto-Lopez is one more casualty among a growing number of bicycle deaths, due to increasing numbers of migrant cyclists and the lack of adequate bike paths along the rural roads between farms and commercial centers of Essex County.  At the heart of migrant worker bicycle deaths – many of which are hit and run – lies a question about the citizenship rights Faulk 2000) of the temporary agricultural workers in Canada who grow much of the inexpensive and delicious groceries we purchase in stores throughout North America.   

1.5 billion dollars of trade goes from the Windsor-Leamington area of Ontario Canada to the US via the Ambassador Bridge to Detroit

Why should we care about migrants like Mr. Soto-Lopez?  Because they represent how neoliberal immigration and trade policies (such as NAFTA and the Security and Prosperity Partnership) contribute to social inequality and health disparities by increasing economic prosperity for some at the expense – even death- of others.  For example, each day 1.5 billion dollars of trade goes from the Windsor-Leamington area of Ontario Canada to the US via the Ambassador Bridge to Detroit.  A large part of that trade is produce:  Leamington, Ontario is the “Tomato Capital” of North America, home to Heinz and the largest number of commercial greenhouses in North America. 


Me in front of the Leamington 'giant tomato'

The need for skilled temporary greenhouse labor draws the majority of Canada’s approximately 15,000 Mexican migrant workers to Leamington via the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP).  Since the inception of the SAWP in 1966, many migrants return annually to work for the same employer, and consequently end up living most of the year in Canada, establishing families, businesses and communities (Preibisch 2007).  Of the 60,000 permanent residents in the Leamington-Kingsville area, Mexicans have become a significant cultural and economic force yet remain “citizens at the margin” (Gabriel and MacDonald 2007). 

Because it is the city with the highest percentage of Latin Americans in Canada, Leamington has its own Mexican Consulate.  According to Mexican Consul General Eusebio del Cueto, the minimum wage for agricultural labor is $9.50 an hour and many work 8-10 hours a day (50 hours a week), earning approximately $500 a week, after taxes.  Given that there are 15,000 Mexican migrants living and working in Leamington, their weekly net earnings total $6,750,000.  About 65-75% of total wages are sent to Mexico as remittances, which leaves approximately $1,687,000 for migrants to spend locally.  Much of this money is spent on food (30-40%), the rest on alcohol/entertainment and on consumer goods. 

The growing economic and cultural power of Mexican migrants and immigrants in Leamington has led to a proliferation of Latino businesses and cultural events.  A tour of the town reveals numerous Latino-Canadian grocers and restaurants.

Some restaurants even offer “servicio hasta su farma”.....

 

There is also a Latino Futbol league....



 .....and Latino music and dance events....


...several churches offer Mass in Spanish.



Compared to the few business and cultural events reflecting other (Caribbean, Mediterranean, Vietnamese) immigrant influences in the area the Mexican presence is remarkable.  However, since the passage of NAFTA IN 1994, restrictive immigration policies and increasing reliance on temporary migrant labor has led to the institutionalization of exchanges (via cultural events, shopping trips, and union support) that provide pathways for migrants to access economic – but not social – forms of citizenship (Basok 2004; Goldring 2007). 

For example, in 2002 a group of concerned local residents established the Migrant Worker Community Program which focuses on brokering cultural and economic exchanges between migrants and local residents through Cinco de Mayo celebrations and Sidewalk Sales, as well as biking safety workshops, english classes and shopping excursions for migrants to Niagara, Windsor and Detroit. 

 

Front door of Migrant Worker Community Program


Flyer for bicycle safety workshop

In theory, migrant workers are not citizens, yet the reality of their long-term presence and contribution to the local (and national) economy begs the question of access to certain social welfare citizenship rights.  Civil society organizations in Leamington (and across North America) have taken up this question in numerous ways, yet a clear trend toward promoting economic and social versus legal and political forms of citizenship exists. 

As migrants’ access to economic opportunities (in terms of both earning and spending) increases, access to social and human services is limited at best.  In particular, utilization of health and social services is stymied by Visa requirements that mandate employers must transport workers to and from rural farms to clinics.  Additionally, migrant workers and their employers routinely express reluctance to take time off of work to visit a local clinic for preventative care.  Rather, it is common practice for employers to simply take migrants to the local emergency room (even in non-emergency cases) for medical care

Migrant and Employer enter ER for medical services.

To address problems between agricultural workers and employees, the United Food and Commercial Worker’s (UFCW) Union in Canada established its first Agricultural Workers Support Center in Leamington in 2002. 

While both the MWCP and UFCW-AWSC seek to “support” migrant agricultural workers, they do so to different effect.  The MWCP promotes access to limited (social and economic) citizenship rights in ways that reify the outsider status of migrants, whereas the UFCW-AWSC provides workers access to more lasting (legal and political) forms of citizenship.  In sum, Mexican migrants and immigrants remain economic and cultural consumers, but not full citizens, of Leamington, Canada.

Recommended Resources

Basok, Tanya. "Post-national Citizenship, Social Exclusion and Migrant Rights: Mexican Seasonal Workers in Canada." Citizenship Studies 8, no. 1 (2004).

Falk, Richard. "The Decline of Citizenship in an Era of Globalization." Citizenship Studies 4, no. 1 (2000).

Gabriel, Christina, and Laura Macdonald. "Migration and Citizenship Rights in a New North American Space." In Requiem or Revival? The Promise of North American Integration, by Isabel Studer and Carol Wise. Washington DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2007.

Goldring, Luin, Carolina Berinstein, and Judith Bernhard. "Institutionalization precarious immigration status in Canada." Toronto: CERLAC, 2007.

Preibisch, Kerry. Patterns of Social Exclusions and Inclusion of Migrant Workers in Rural Canada. The University of Guelph, 2007.

Yuval-Davis, Nira. "The Multi-Layerd Citizen: Citizenship in the Age of 'Glocalization'." International Feminist Journal of Politics 1, no. 1 (1999).