At the 36th session of the UN Human Rights Council, the Mexican government reaffirmed the importance of protecting the human rights of Mexican migrants, especially in view of the United States’ announcement ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA).
Mexico’s statement was made yesterday by the Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, Ambassador Miguel Ruiz Cabañas, as part of the report presented by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to the Council. In his statement, which highlighted the human rights concerns and challenges facing the international community, the High Commissioner referred to the defenselessness and vulnerability of migrants and refugees in many regions of the world, and in particular to the measures taken by the US government.
In his remarks, Undersecretary Ruiz Cabañas deeply regretted the end of the DACA program and expressed Mexico’s serious concern about the uncertainty faced by the youths born outside of the United States who arrived there as children with their parents and who have lived there for their whole life, making significant contributions to the economy, culture and society as a whole.
The Undersecretary reaffirmed Mexico’s complete commitment to the universal promotion and protection of human rights, and especially to defending Mexican citizens abroad, saying that Mexico will ramp up its consular protection for Mexicans abroad and reiterating that all youths who decide to return to Mexico will be welcomed with open arms.
Ambassador Ruiz Cabañas said that the issue of migration is a complex one that requires countries of origin, transit and destination to take steps based on the principle of shared responsibility. He also repeated Mexico’s categorical repudiation of laws and policies that criminalize, persecute or stigmatize migrants, saying that these practices do not help to address the biggest challenges of our times but rather facilitate the illegal movement of migrants, exposing them to abuse and to the violation of their rights.
The Undersecretary concluded by asking the High Commissioner to continue paying attention to migrants’ rights around the world in order to strengthen the international protection mechanisms.