July 17, 2000
Mexico Solidarity Network

In a stunning reversal of a five-year policy to expel politically 'inconvenient' foreigners from southern Mexico, authorities overturned the 2 year expulsion of Tom Hansen, Director of the Mexico Solidarity Network. Hansen arrived in Mexico on June 30 under a fifteen-day visa provided by National Immigration Institute and approved by the National Electoral Institute.

"This represents a very welcome reversal of a policy that has brought criticism and embarrassment to Mexico," said Hansen. "In particular I applaud Lic. Jose Angel Pescador Osuna, Sub-Secretary of Goberacion, for taking this issue in hand."

In a meeting held on July 4 in the offices of Gobernacion, Mr. Pescador agreed to annul Hansen's expulsion as well as reconsider the expulsions of some 400 other human rights activists, priests and foreign development volunteers.

The campaign of expulsions began in 1995 and escalated significantly in 1998. Most of the expulsados were invited guests in Indigenous communities in the southern state of Chiapas. Many of the expulsions are documented in a report entitled 'Foreigners of Conscience' published by Global Exchange.

The expulsions came under increasing criticism from non-governmental organizations, officials of the Federal Election Institute, and opposition party officials in Mexico. And a Sense of the Congress Resolution recently introduced by Rep. DeFazio (D-OR) criticized the Mexican government for human rights abuses and the expulsion campaign.

"We hope that this represents a permanent change in Immigration policy in Mexico," noted Hansen. "I know many of the people who have been expelled. They are law-abiding citizens whose only 'crime' was to express concern about human rights violations."

Contact:

Mexico Solidarity Network
Tel: 773-583-7728
e-mail: msn@mexicosolidarity.org