In September, PBI provided international accompaniment to civil society organizations who defend the rights of migrants in in the state of Coahuila and who face risks due to their work. According to the report by the Citizens Council of the National Migration Institute (INM), in July 2017 the migrant population was subject to “violence and the excessive use of force by INM agents and other security forces in control and detention operatives” and crimes committed against migrants are met with impunity.

Jan Jarab, representative in Mexico of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights mentioned this “serious” situation during the presentation of the report. As part of PBI´s international accompaniment, our field team visited the Juan Gerardi Human Rights Center, an organization that supports and coordinates the Jesús Torres Day Center, a shelter for migrants in transit.

In Saltillo, PBI accompanied the Saltillo Migrant Shelter during the meeting to review the precautionary measures that were granted by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in 2010, due to their work in defence of the rights of migrants.

This risk has been highlighted by the “All Rights for All” National Network (Red TDT) who released an alert about this situation in which they document at least 13 cases of aggressions related to the humanitarian and human rights work of those defending the rights of migrants.