Ambassador
of the United States of America to the United States of Mexico
American Embassy Mexico, DF
12 April 2000
Dear Ambassador,
The purpose of this letter is to protest recent actions by the
Government of the United States of Mexico directed against an
organization attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to the people
of Mexico.
10 April 2000 marked the conclusion of the IFCO/Pastors For
Peace Spring 2000 Caravan For Peace and Reconciliation to Chiapas.
During this Caravan, three vehicles and more than fifteen people
delivered humanitarian aid from the people of the United States
of America to Mexican citizens in the State of Chiapas. We delivered
almost 28 tons of food and medicine, and medical, educational,
office, agricultural, and building supplies, materials, and
equipment. This aid was delivered to the following Chiapan communities:
Altamirano, Pohlo, Acteal, La Realidad, Oventic, and San Cristobal
de Las Casas. Additionally, we delivered aid to the community
of Polutla, still suffering from the effects of last November's
flooding in the State of Vera Cruz. Finally, we visited a number
of communities in gestures of friendship and to assess the needs
of the people in those communities for possible future aid:
La Margaritas, Nuevo San Juan Chamulo, and Agua Tinta.
I protest the following actions by the government of Mexico:
1. Pastors For Peace requested from the government of Mexico
30-day humanitarian aid FM-3 visas for all Caravan participants.
The reason for this was so as to be able to complete all scheduled
aid deliveries and visitation activities in a safe, deliberate,
and complete manner. The government of Mexico issued only 15-day
FM-3s and refused to consider any extensions. This action significantly
hampered Caravan activities because, by reducing available time,
it reduced the number of communities that could be safely visited.
Additionally, it mandated cutting the planned visitation program
short because all Caravan vehicles had to be out of Mexico by
midnight on 12 April 2000. This meant that they had to leave
Chiapas on 9 April to allow enough time to safely transit Mexico
and reach the U.S. border before the caravanistas would be in
violation of the expiration date of their visas.
2. On 29 March 2000, the day the Caravan entered Mexico from
McAllen, Texas into Reynosa, Tamaulipas, three members of the
Caravan were detained by Mexican Immigration officials for several
hours, questioned, and threatened with being hand-cuffed and
driven to the border and expelled from Mexico. At no time were
these three U.S. citizens informed of why they were being detained,
interrrogated, or threatened with treatment as common criminals.
3. From the time we left Reynosa until we reached San Cristobal
de Las Casas, we were followed by a succession of unmarked civilian
vehicles carrying personnel in civilian clothing. That they
were following us was obvious by the way they stopped and proceeded
as we did. Apparently the need to follow us was obviated by
our arrival in Chiapas where we were stopped at every military
and immigration checkpoint along our routes. In several instances,
military personnel demanded to see our passports and visas which,
by Mexican law, they are not authorized to do.
4. On 5 April 2000, we attempted to travel from San Cristobal
de Las Casas to Altamirano to deliver approximately 10 tons
of medical supplies and equipment to Hospital Don Carlos, a
medical facility for indigenous persons in that area that is
operated by Catholic nuns. At the intersection to Altamirano
on the road from San Cristobal to Ocosinco, we (and many, many
other Mexican citizens and foreign tourists) were held up for
more than two and one-half hours in a road blockage that was
a political protest by citizens of Altamirano against actions
taken by the PRI. The protesters initially demanded payment
from us (as they did everybody else) of 100 U.S. dollars for
each of our two vehicles. When we showed them the documentation
that we had proving that we were carrying humanitarian aid and
when we informed them that they were in violation of international
law which forbids the levying of payment in order to permit
the passage of such aid, the protesters still refused to grant
us passage and would only reduce the amount we had to pay to
50 U.S. dollars per vehicle. In order to be able to deliver
the aid that the nuns in Altamirano were counting on, we of
course had to pay the extortion fee. What was particularly infuriating
about all this was that a Mexican military outpost overlooked
the intersection, and military personnel observed what was going
on and did nothing to stop the blockade. In fact, while we were
in line waiting to pay our way through the highway robbery in
progress, a convoy of three Mexican military vehicles and one
Federal police vehicle passed through the mob and entered the
military encampment. It was noted that none of those vehicles
payed any money to the blockadanistas.
I request that you investigate these allegations and inform
me of the position of the government of the United States of
America as to whether or not it considers any of this to be
appropriate behavior by the Mexican government toward U.S. citizens
on a mission of delivering humanitarian aid to Mexican citizens.
Each member of the Caravan was carefully and extensively briefed
on Mexican law as it pertains to foreign visitors, and as it
pertains to what is and is not permitted activity, particularly
under the provisions of Article 33 of the Mexican Constitution.
I can assure you that we violated nothing.
Your prompt attention to this matter will be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey G. Moebus
caravanista, Retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant |