Operación Monarca: A Bridge by Mexicans for Mexicans
Mexico opens its doors to Mexican undocumented immigrants who face the fear of deportation
A monarch butterfly might seem frail, but it has the energy to travel over 12,000 miles from Mexico to the United States and Canada. Just as the monarch butterfly endures harsh conditions to reach its goal, so do millions of undocumented Mexican immigrants living in the U.S.
Senator Yolanda de la Torre Valdez, who represents the state of Durango in Mexico views the monarch butterfly as a symbol of “resistance, tenacity, and liberty…” It was with this message in mind that Operación Monarca [Monarch Operation] was created.
As an effort to protect the rights of co-nationals living in the United States without legal documents, Operación Monarca seeks to invest in its current consulates around the U.S. and revalidate college or trade studies into Mexico’s education system.
“Habemos personas en México que estamos comprometidos en defenderlos, en decirles que no están solos” [There are people in Mexico who are committed to defend you, to tell you that you are not alone], said Senator Armando Ríos Píter from the state of Guerrero, who has been one of the main leaders of Operación Monarca.
A group of Mexican Senators have persuaded the Mexican government to approve a budget for this project. 1,000 million pesos, which is equivalent to almost 50 million dollars, will be used to improve Mexico’s network of 50 consulates in the U.S.
By giving more funding to consulates, Mexico hopes to better inform binationals about their rights through legal assessment and orientation. Operación Monarca has another goal in mind, which is in the process of being approved after several meetings with President Enrique Peña Nieto, the Secretary of Public Education, and Secretary of State.
Mexican senators have also met with California Senators; amongst them is Kevin de León who serves as President pro Tempore of the California State Senate. The plan is to develop an easier process to revalidate college or trade studies in the U.S. to Mexico’s education system, a measure that would be favorable to “Dreamers.” There is also hope that prominent figures will offer scholarships as an act of solidarity.
As the Senator from Durango pointed out, since many of these immigrants are proficient in English, she believes this would be a great addition to Mexico’s public education system. Mexico intends to open up current housing, self-employment, and small business programs to facilitate the process of assimilation back to Mexico, which according to Senator Yolanda de la Torre Valdez, would be a mutual beneficial contribution because [nationals are talented, hard working people].
While Operación Monarca is in the works, there are still some binationals that are skeptical about Mexico’s intentions. For instance, Jesus Escandon and his wife are concerned about the way the funds will be distributed amongst the consulates due to Mexico’s history of corruption.
Mr. Escandon believes there should be a way of holding the consulates accountable for this sum of money, so “they are actually spent, not stolen.” He explained how the price of documents and customer experience at the consulate have ruined his trust towards this institution.
To a lesser degree, rights activist Francisco Moreno, who has worked for over 20 years with the Mexican community, is mostly surprised about Mexico’s sudden interest in assisting undocumented immigrants living in this country.
He attributes this change in attitude to President Trump’s offensive language, which has united those affected in both nations.
As expressed by Moreno, “Yo veo que nos ha abandonado el gobierno de México por muchos años, y qué bueno que se esté tomando este impulso y que nos está unificando el Sr. Trump porque él es un enemigo mayor que todos los partidos y que el mismo gobierno de México.” [I see that they have abandoned us, the Mexican government, for many years, and I am glad that they are feeling this urge. And Mr. Trump is unifying us because he is a major enemy regardless of all political parties and the government].
Through the Council of Mexican Federations (COFEM) in North America, Moreno advises families to be honest with their children about their lawful status. He suggests to be legally prepared to designate a guardian in case of a sudden arrest or deportation through a document that should include: “quién va a recogerlos a la escuela, qué medicina toma mi hijo, o si tiene alguna condición médica, etc, etc.” [who is going to pick them up from school, what medicine does my child take, or if he or she has a type of medical condition, etc, etc].
Operación Monarca is the result of a conversation between Mexican politicians and Dreamers who visited Mexico in 2016. In addition, it is a response to President Trump’s repeatedly anti-immigration rhetoric, as stated by Senator Armando Ríos Píter: “Nuestra gente aquí trabaja y dia con dia hace pagando sus impuestos, dando muestras claras de que con energía Estados Unidos y México, por las remesas que mandan, son dos grandes países en gran medida por nuestros migrantes” [Our people here work and day to day pay their taxes giving clear signs that with energy, the united States and Mexico, through their remittance money, are two great countries largely due to our immigrants]
A 2016 report by Pew Research found that in 2014 there were approximately “5.8 million Mexican unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S.”
Regardless of the high number of people who are vulnerable for a voluntary departure or deportation, the leaders of Operación Monarca are aware that many undocumented Mexicans do not want to go back or are not ready to go back to their native country.
Whether the goal is to stay and fulfill an “American Dream” or rediscover the potential that a country like Mexico has, Operación Monarca aims for awareness to bridge and support Mexican nationals and bi-nationals.
