This past Thursday both the MG and Social Work groups headed to Mexico City, aka D.F., aka Distrito Federal. Some of us had been there before as Maren has noted in the previous post, while for others it was the first time back to the capital since arriving to México. We stayed at Casa de los Amigos, a Quaker Center for Peace and International Understanding. We had such a large group that we ate breakfast in two morning shifts on Friday, and then we traveled to la Embajada de Estados Unidos, the U.S. Embassy. In order to enter, we had to bring our passports, wear professional clothing, and leave electronics at the door. We heard from a panel of U.S. employees who have their current tours/posts in México. It’s interesting that ‘tours’ in the foreign service are generally only 2-3 years long. Is this because they don’t want people to become too attached to the country they are working in? Wouldn’t it be better to have experts rather than a shifting staff?
We learned about the visa process, which is long and complicated. Some applicants have been waiting for 15 years just to have their appointment; it isn’t even guaranteed that they will qualify. I further researched online and found that up until January 2010, HIV infection was a reason for ineligibility based on health-related grounds (1). Fortunately this has changed, and HIV positive individuals are not restricted from crossing the border. Later, some of the MG students debriefed the Embassy visit in Abril’s Political Science course. We discussed how only certain individuals in Mexican society have a chance at getting a visa because they must prove that they have ‘enough’ economic resources. This gives insight into why crossing without official documents becomes logical and reasonable for individuals and families under economic pressures.
We learned about the visa process, which is long and complicated. Some applicants have been waiting for 15 years just to have their appointment; it isn’t even guaranteed that they will qualify. I further researched online and found that up until January 2010, HIV infection was a reason for ineligibility based on health-related grounds (1). Fortunately this has changed, and HIV positive individuals are not restricted from crossing the border. Later, some of the MG students debriefed the Embassy visit in Abril’s Political Science course. We discussed how only certain individuals in Mexican society have a chance at getting a visa because they must prove that they have ‘enough’ economic resources. This gives insight into why crossing without official documents becomes logical and reasonable for individuals and families under economic pressures.
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| Students from the Political Science class at the Cuernavaca sign in Mexico City |
Barriers to immigration efforts are not unique to the U.S. At the talk at the Embassy, we learned that a recent survey found that many Mexicans expressed conservative expectations from Latin and Central America immigrants, such as a high level of education and ability to speak Spanish. This reminded me of the film De nadie we watched a few weeks ago about the struggles experienced and challenges faced by immigrants south of Mexico. As the journey to the U.S. from Mexico is not an easy one by any means, the journey through Mexico for a Latin or Central American immigrant can be even more difficult. I would definitely recommend this film, and I would like to present some questions that often come up in our lab group and class discussions: Doesn’t America include the North, Central, and South? Aren’t we all Americans? What is the best way to build respectful and supportive relationships within our American family?
1. 1) U.S. Department of State. Classes of Aliens Ineligible to Receive Visas. Accessed March 20, 2011: < http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/ineligibilities/ineligibilities_1364.html#1 >.
-Annica Stull-Lane (Oberlin College ´11)
I came across your blog in a search for more information on the CGE Migration and Globalization study abroad program. I was so excited to see a student-run blog about the program pop up in my Google search! I wanted to thank all of the contributors to this blog for helping give me a better understanding of the structure of the program, and the types of issues that are being addressed in your studies. I was interested in this program before, but my parents are hesitant in allowing me to go to Mexico due to safety concerns. If any of the student writers would be willing to email me about how they have felt thus far in regards to their safety, I would greatly appreciate it! I look forward to reading future posts! :)
ResponderEliminarStephanie Smith
steph.smith611@gmail.com
Annica,
ResponderEliminarI'm so so pleased you brought up the point about moving the foreign service officers around every two-three years. Like I said in the class we had with Abril, it frustrates me terribly that our diplomatic officers are trained in the same way the military is trained so as to avoid losing their patriotism.
Anyway, well done love!
Ashley
Good point, Ashley!
ResponderEliminarIt frustrates me that the focus is not on connecting and knowing the local country in depth, but rather being in one place just long enough to understand the local processes before heading off to the next 'tour.' I guess they might also want to prevent any corruption, but that is a pessimistic viewpoint to assume that the longer someone is in one place the more corrupt they might become. This also makes me think of consequences for the rest of the family, and how it would structure a child's upbringing to move to a new country every few years -- there are definitely both pros and cons there.
I like the questions you posed at the end Annica because I feel that these questions are ones that not many people in the United States reflect upon. The word "American" is thrown around all the time to identify people from the United States, but like you said, America is not only the United States. At times it seems like an ethnocentric label particularly when referring to just people from the United States. All of this speaks to the power of labels and words and the history behind the words that are very powerful. I would encourage everyone to reflect upon the labels they use to categorize people and think about what they really mean.
ResponderEliminar