Enrique's Journey Post #1

          On Page 103, the author goes into detail about how in the Mexican state of Chiapas, riding the trains is incredibly dangerous, as gangsters and criminals rule the tops, robbing, raping, and killing migrants trying to make their way to "El Norte." Also, the attitude about migrants from the occupants of towns on the tracks in the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz is more accepting of migrants. They throw small bundles containing food that the migrants are very grateful for. It is interesting that the attitude can be so drastically different towards migrants from state to state in Mexico. It makes the reader wonder why Chiapas can be so hostile towards migrants, the most difficult leg of their journey, while Oaxaca and Veracruz are, comparatively, friendly towards the thousands of young and old migrants that come flowing through from Southern Mexico and Central America on their way to the United States. Perhaps it is the state of mind that the residents in these states have developed. They believe that their government is wrong to deport Central Americans from Mexico, if Mexicans don't want to be stopped from entering the United States. It is possible that this reasonable state of mind is what makes the residents of Oaxaca and Veracruz so much more friendly than the hostile, distrustful residents of Chiapas.
          According to Immigration in America, the flow of Honduran migrants has seen an 81 percent increase during the first decade of the 21st century. During this time more Hondurans have entered the country than any other migrant group. Both economic trouble and natural disasters have led to this huge spike in immigration from Honduras. The 1998 Hurricane Mitch ravaged Honduras and other parts of Central America. During the months directly following this disaster, United States Border Patrol reported a 61 percent increase in Honduran migrants attempting to cross the border. Hurricane Mitch proved to be one of the worst natural disasters ever to hit Honduras, with a death toll of 6,800 and 8,052 missing and presumed to be dead. The huge rise in immigration through Mexico has caused the Mexican drug gangs to get involved, acting as migrant smugglers and targeting migrants that travel alone through Mexico. These drug cartels target child migrants specifically. They take young boys' money and have even been known to beat and throw these children, as young as seven years old, off the trains. This is all very common in the southern parts of Mexico. Going further into the states further north, the priests and religious figures protect and shelter migrants. According to CNN News, Mexican priests like Rev. Alejandro Solalinde are fighting for immigration reform in both the United States and in Mexico. He has criticized both the government and the Catholic Church, insisting that they be more compassionate towards migrants. Solalinde, from the Mexican state of Oaxaca states that immigration reform will come only when the problem is assessed both at the source and from the migrants' destinations.