MIGRATÓN MÉXICO: A SATIRICAL ACTION TO DENOUNCE PREJUDICE AND VIOLENCE TOWARD MIGRANTS IN MEXICO
Migratón México is a satirical action created in 2017 by a group of artists and activists from Mexico, Central America and the United States, convened by the Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics, to denounce the system that dehumanizes migrants in Mexico, which profits from their plight, and uses euphemisms to obfuscate the violence inflicted. This “Migrathon”—a Telethon for the migratory industry—was launched on December 18, International Migrants Day. Two of the Migratón’s absurd campaigns, “Migratón Kids” and “Migratón Tours”, highlight the conditions faced by migrant people and migrant children in Mexico, while “Migratón Champions” and the list of “Allies” call out the powerful sectors that perpetuate the crisis. The Migratón website is a minefield of information, with links to reports on human rights abuses, articles on the root causes of Central American migration, and news that highlight the violence and exploitation they suffer in Mexico, and which continue when they cross into the United States.
To make visible the xenophobia and discrimination faced daily by Central American migrants and refugees in Mexico, this group of artists and activists also created the satirical intervention #SomosElMuro. Launched in January 2018, #Somoselmuro presents a group of ultra-right, pro-Trump’s wall Mexicans who propose to turn Mexico into a giant human border. The video and the song ask, “What part of the wall are you?” and remind you that “By doing nothing, you’re also part of the wall..”
The thousands of migrants who cross or seek refuge in Mexico each year are not criminals. On the contrary, they flee from conditions of extreme violence and poverty that have been systematized by to corrupt governments and neoliberal policies, which in turn feed the power and reach of organized crime.
They flee from one nightmare and encounter another. Instead of finding free transit and humanity, they are faced with rape, extortion, robbery, kidnapping, assault and demonization by local authorities, the National Institute of Migration, the police and military, as well as drug cartels specialized in human trafficking. It is extremely alarming that 80% of women who cross into Mexico are raped and thousands of migrant girls and boys are detained by the authorities despite the laws prohibiting it.
Violence’s best ally is ignorance. A large percentage of the population is not aware of the conditions migrants face in Mexico, and another large percentage does not want to be. Ignoring something does not make it disappear. Our silence another brick in the wall.
Many people on social networks—believing that these satirical projects are real—have been outraged and raised their voices in defense of the migrants. Thank you for criticizing, contributing, and speaking out.
We invite you to join the dialogue, get informed and take action.
Contribute to the Movimiento Migrante Mesoamericano and the Caravana de Madres
Ask the government to stop deporting refugees
Collaborate with the Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Matías
Support the Casa del Migrante Saltillo
Volunteer with FM4PASO Libre
Join forces with La 72 en Tenosique
Volunteer with Sin Fronteras
Foster the work of the Red de Casas Scalabrinianas
Collaborate with the Albergue de Migrantes Hermanos en el Camino
Check out the interview (in Spanish) with “Gloria Vallarta de Valle de Bravo” from #SomosElMuro (Ana Francis Mor from Las Reinas Chulas) in EL ALMOHADAZO, aired on February 12, 2018: