Mexican university campuses in US will work to protect migrants

The five centers of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in the U.S. will seek to defend Mexican migrants in that country, including helping them to get citizenship, the university announced Saturday.

In a statement, UNAM said that its centers in the cities of Los Angeles, Tucson, Chicago, San Antonio and Seattle would carry out a joint action plan with educational institutions, lawyers and human rights organizations.

A six-point strategy was agreed on during a summit in Seattle on Friday, organized between UNAM and Northwest University.

The director of UNAM's Mexican Studies Center in Seattle, Jorge Madrazo, explained during the summit that the five campuses would also work with the Mexican government to agree on the most urgent actions to be taken.

Since becoming president on Jan. 20, Donald Trump has hardened migration policies by ordering large-scale raids to round up and deport undocumented migrants.

According to the Mexican government, of the 11.8 million undocumented migrants in the U.S., 5.8 million are Mexican.

UNAM also indicated that it had also signed an agreement with the Slim Foundation, headed by Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim, and the National Commission on Human Rights (CNDH), to further protect migrants.

The strategy has several key areas of action, including teaching migrants about their legal rights to fight racial discrimination, helping to improve community organization through best practices, and boosting participatory citizenship.

Furthermore, UNAM's plan will seek to lend legal aid to young Mexicans in the U.S. who benefit from the Dream Act, granting them legal status and temporary work permits.

source: Xinhua