We love Mexico and they love us

I wanted to get something off my chest about Mexico.

In 2006, Mexico overtook England as the favourite international travel destination for Canadians (after the US) with 842,000 overnight trips (http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/070529/d070529a.htm).

For the past two years, Mexico has also been the largest source country for refugee claimants to Canada.

So, really, we send our tourists there and they send their refugees here. Seems fair doesn't it?

Not really. Personally, I find it disturbing how many Canadians travel to Mexico without a thought as to where they are going. Images of luxurious hotels, beautiful beaches and hedonism at the clubs are absolutely right on target and wonderful but they float deceptively over the reality of life in Mexico.

What is that reality?

According to the Amnesty International Annual Report, 2007 (http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/Regions/Americas/Mexico)

"There were continuing reports of torture, arbitrary detention, excessive use of force and unfair judicial proceedings, particularly at state level. Serious human rights violations were reported in Oaxaca State in the context of a protracted political crisis. Violence against women remained endemic in many states and the campaign for justice for the women of Ciudad Juárez and Chihuahua City continued. Several journalists were killed. Human rights defenders and political opponents in some states remained at risk of harassment or unfounded criminal prosecutions. Measures to prosecute those responsible for systematic human rights violations in previous decades failed. Indigenous peoples in several states continued to face discrimination including in access to basic services, such as health care and education."

This post isn't the thousands of men and women who throw themselves on the mercy of human smugglers every year trying to get out of Mexico. I also won't talk about Mexico City, possibly the largest city on earth, with over 19 million inhabitants. It isn't about the gross human rights abuses and femicide of the maquiladora areas near the Mexican-American border. This post isn't even about the dangers that tourists face when they travel to Mexico.

Nope, this post is about the people who do manage to reach Canada. Many of the claimants are middle class professionals: writers, lawyers, doctors, and engineers who fear persecution or death in Mexico. Some are fleeing homophobia, some spousal abuse, and some are trying to escape from the drug cartels who run their businesses and their local governments with equal ease. These claimants are people like us. People who just want a safe existence, who want a chance to earn money and raise their families without being threatened, disappeared, or killed.

And what do we do? We deny their claims and send them back because there is a reasonable expectation that their government will protect them. Please! Their government is incapable of reigning in the criminals in Mexico and corruption is so rampant that many people are afraid to ask the police for help. And we refuse to help, the Canadian government only accept 28% of the refugee claims made by Mexicans. (http://www.thestar.com/News/article/243329)

Sigh.

Our hubris and ignorance about the world in which we travel is shameful. If you travel, at least learn about your destination first. And don't be surprised when something not-so-nice happens. The world is not really our playground - when will we start acting like it.

Just remember: In Mexico, you are guilty until proven innocent.