PBI-Mexico affirms the rights of migrants and the work of the Saltillo Migrant Shelter

On January 21, the Peace Brigades International-Mexico Project affirmed in a new article the rights of migrants and the work of the Saltillo Migrant Shelter (CMS).

PBI-Mexico notes, “Although migrating is a right enshrined in article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is still violated by a variety of actors.”

Article 13 states, “(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. (2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.”

PBI-Mexico highlights, “On December 28, 2019, as the UN mentioned, the CMS suffered the suspension of the water supply to the shelter, a fact that undoubtedly violates the human right to water and sanitation for the migrant population in the house in conditions of extreme vulnerability.”

“Although CMS already has the restoration of water, as a result of this fact a series of defamations have been poured against the director of the organization Alberto Xiconténcatl Carrasco, through press releases from different media discrediting his legitimate work as a defender of human rights.”

“Attacks against human rights defenders of migrants show the criminalization of migration in Mexico and the region, as well as the constant violation of the right to defend human rights, despite being an obligation of the Mexican State.”

PBI-Mexico concludes, “PBI supports the work carried out by Casa Migrante Saltillo in the State of Coahuila and accompanies its work in the comprehensive care of migrants and refugees, in addition, it reiterates the importance of protecting the members of CMS through the optimal implementation of the precautionary measures that the Mechanism operates to guarantee the physical and emotional integrity of human rights defenders as well as migrants.”

PBI-Mexico has accompanied the Saltillo Migrant Shelter since 2014.