Cinco de Mayo Special:
Mexico’s Handy Advice to Migrants

2,161 words

Despite some publicity from mainstream sources, including a surprisingly balanced New York Times article, many Americans don’t know that the government of Mexico printed at least 1.5 million pamphlets with instructions on how to enter the USA illegally. American Renaissance provided a translation of it, including full-color pictures of the original version.

What is in the Guía del Migrante Mexicano?

The opening page shows half a dozen people gazing at the Mexican consulate. The symbolism is obvious — look to the consulate for assistance — a theme repeated frequently. The introduction shows three would-be mojados at the southern bank of the Rio Grande, eyeing a damaged part of the border fence on the other side. The text begins stating that its purpose is practical advice if the reader wishes to look for work outside the country. Then:

The sure way to enter another country is by getting your passport from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the visa, which you may apply for at the embassy or consulate of the country you wish to travel to.

The target audience, of course, includes those unwilling to get their paperwork in order — or those who are ineligible or already got turned down, perhaps for very good reasons. Following that, it cautions that crossing deserts and rivers poses grave dangers. Further, it is to describe some implications under American law about being an illegal alien. It will discuss their rights even while abroad without papers. Then another half-hearted reminder:

Keep in mind always that there exist legal mechanisms to enter the United States of America legally.

It’s nice that they’re so concerned, but it says nothing more about how to line up for a green card. Then there’s a reminder to find out where the nearest consulate is and seek help there as needed.

The section after this goes into the “dangers in crossing high-risk zones.” The opening illustration shows another group of three Asylbewerber preparing to get their backs wet, with rocky scenery like west Texas. It warns that swimming is extra risky at night or alone, and that heavy clothing will bog you down. The next picture shows a group of four, likely around Arizona, setting out to follow power lines while sunset approaches. There are a few sentences about how to cross through the desert, as well as symptoms of dehydration.

Then it warns against using human traffickers. (I concur; they generally aren’t nice people. In fact, this section understates matters, given what some of them have done.) But, well, you know. . .

If you decide to hire people traffickers to cross the border, consider the following precautions:

Do not let them out of your sight. Remember that they are the only ones who know the lay of the land, and therefore the only ones who can get you out of that place.

To drive home the point, the illustration shows a crowd boarding a tractor-trailer. The next panel shows one of them lost in the Arizona desert and about to pass out. His only protection from the mid-day sun is his red baseball cap. (No, it doesn’t say MAGA.) Apparently he got separated from the group, or he was abandoned by the coyote who took his money and ran.

In the next illustration, a cheerful blonde instructs an innocent girl while a grinning smuggler is about to hand over a package. It cautions against driving someone else’s car across the border, carrying packages which probably have contraband, transporting other people, or letting a stranger transport your kids. This, I will concur, is excellent advice.

Then it recommends against false identification, using someone else’s papers, or pretending to be American, because it can get you into even worse trouble. (What’s the matter with a fake ID? Some say it worked for Obama, right?) In the caption, a glum fellow is facing a border patrol agent at a checkpoint, holding two passports and seemingly at a loss for explanations. Then this:

Do not lie to officials of the United States at ports and points of entry.

Nah, just sneak around the checkpoint instead, right? Then the following advice if you are arrested:

• Do not resist arrest.
• Do not assault or insult officials.
• Do not throw rocks or objects at officials or at patrols since this is considered a provocation by those officials.

I’ll have to concur with that one too; that’s spot-on. Antagonizing the police doesn’t end well. Some other sensible items follow.

The next section begins: “If they arrest you, you have rights!” They’re onto something here; America has oodles of rights just for criminals. Not long after that is an odd caption, showing an illegal alien at a desk and looking miserable while he fills out a form. An official stands behind him, examining another form. To the left is a sexy blonde in a tight dress. (Hopefully, that’s not his public defender.) In the next panel, the illegal alien is looking more hopeful and phoning the consulate.

You can buy Greg Johnson’s The White Nationalist Manifesto here

The text enumerates eleven rights to be aware of in particular. This isn’t a full Civics 101 lecture, and seems rather skimpy. However, what it does offer might indeed come in handy for someone caught sneaking across the border. For further advice on that subject, it recommends tuning into 1570 AM for those in Ciudad Acuña or Texas.

If you are facing a criminal proceeding and you have not yet been sentenced, ask your lawyer or consular representative about pleading guilty.

Do not declare yourself guilty without first consulting your lawyer about the chances of winning your case.

You’ve got to get the best deal possible if you’re going to cop a plea bargain, right?

Then it goes onto some tips about not breaking the law. I like this part better! There are some very basic driving safety tips. After all, a routine traffic stop might lead to deportation, unless it’s in a sanctuary city, of course. For example:

If you drink, do not drive, since if you do not have documents, you can be arrested and deported.

If a legal resident is convicted more than twice for drinking under the influence, he can be deported.

Mexicans do have a significant drunk driving problem. Unfortunately, the booklet neglects to warn about the risk of injury or death to yourself or someone else, as if the only hazard worth mentioning was getting caught and deported.

The rest covers various subjects mostly in a similar vein. It advises not to do things that might get the attention of the authorities: fights, domestic violence, carrying weapons, and so forth. Other than that, it cautions to keep a low profile, which is sensible advice for border jumpers. Then there’s a final reminder that the consulate can help; it lists all of them with phone numbers. (If the spirit moves you, then you can call their local office to ask what Mexico’s government is doing about their inadequate social safety net. It really says something if a sizable fraction of their country has left for greener pastures, many of them hiking through deserts, swimming across rivers, and hiding from INS agents.) Wrapping up here:

Stay close to the Consulate. Always carry your Consular Protection Guide.

Stay close to Mexico.

It is your home, Countryman!

That’s a very true statement, though ironic considering what the rest of the document says. The end shows logos, likely the government agencies which commissioned the document: the Secretary of External Relations, the Institute of Mexicans Abroad, and Paisano. The last page says (my translation here):

This consular protection guide does not promote [border] crossing by Mexicans without legally required documentation of the government of the United States; its objective is to give counsel of the risks that it implies, and inform concerning the rights of the migrants regardless of your legal residence.

Wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more!

Analysis

The first thing that stood out from the front cover was that the people are whiter than most Mexicans, rather curiously, and even more so than most of the ones who migrate legally or otherwise. That remains so for the rest of the booklet. The figures typically are espomolos and castizos, and some others could be pure Spanish. If typical illegal aliens had genetics like that, they’d surely be a lot more assimilable. Alex Kurtagic’s description in Mister of some MS13 members is more typical of their looks:

From an evolutionary perspective, XIXth century physical anthropologists would have deemed the faces to have evinced a number of archaic traits: prominent supraorbital ridges; maxillary prognathism; strongly proclined upper and lower incisors; projecting, zygomatic arches and alveolar ridges; and low, sloping foreheads, fronting brachycephalised skulls with negligible cranial cubicage. These traits appeared in a chaotic array of inharmonious configurations, suggesting that they were a product of irresponsible miscegenation among developed subspecies of humanity, and, within that category, among the most degraded, and least promising, specimens from Central America. Italian criminologist Cesare Lombroso would have found in their traits — the atavistic stigmata affecting their physiognomical, phrenological, and craniometrical characteristics — brutal and unequivocal confirmation of his theories on the heritability of criminality.

Some of the topics seem to be rather sparse, but surely it’s better than nothing. Perhaps they were trying to keep it simple? Again, there are much better practical “Civics 101” guides out there. They didn’t even recommend putting the ACLU on your speed dial! How could they forget about that one?

About the radio program recommended for more in-depth information, a little research provided some interesting details. The station is XERF-AM, serving the migrant community with music and cultural programs. This clear channel “border blaster” is operated by Mexico’s IMER agency. La Poderosa (“The Powerful”) had been upgraded to 100 kW, twice the maximum allowed for American AM stations, with a 250-mile minimum nighttime broadcast radius. Does the American government have any equivalent radio program beamed deep into Mexico, offering legal tips for wayward gringos who illegally entered their country?

The wilderness survival tips are pretty rudimentary. Despite my Mormon background, I never have been involved in a scouting program, but I can think of quite a few things it left out. For one item, if you’re ever crossing a desert while trying to sneak across a border, don’t forget to bring a map, a compass, and a flashlight so that you don’t get disoriented. Still, I have an even better idea — don’t even think about trespassing into another country!

What’s the real agenda?

Again, the stated intent of the booklet is to protect those who decide to jump the border and to inform them of their rights. One might characterize that as harm reduction. The concept does have supporters, and sometimes makes it into public policy. Imagine, for example, a helpful Drug Enforcement Agency pamphlet that says: “Heroin abuse is bad for you. However, if you’re going to shoot up anyway, only buy from dealers recommended by other addicts. Someone else could cheat you, or even be a narc! At home, keep your syringe and burnt spoon hidden; if the cops show up and see your gear in plain sight, you’ll get busted for paraphernalia. Only buy primo smack like China White or Mexican Brown, not off-brand dope that even could be some other chemical.”

Still, the harm reduction rhetoric seems rather like an excuse. If Mexico really wanted to do something, they’d post guards to prevent illegal crossings. The warnings about human traffickers, at least, could’ve been much stronger. There have been a number of cases where eighteen-wheelers full of migrants broke down and the drivers fled without letting them out, leaving them to bake in hot trailers. It’s surprising that the booklet doesn’t warn about that, among other things.

It appears that Mexico isn’t too serious about deterring illegal border crossings, and the document was more about enabling it. For decades, the USA has been the safety valve for socioeconomic problems caused by their government’s corruption and neglect of the poor. It’s understandable why millions of Mexicans have fled their own country, legally or otherwise. Still, this is unsustainable and causes considerable negative effects for the USA: changing demographics from an incompatible population, strained infrastructure, exorbitant social services costs, depressed wages, urban blight, increased crime, the reintroduction of diseases formerly under control, and so forth. The “open borders” globalists won’t even acknowledge these externalities.

This can’t go on. Every country has the right to control its boundaries. In fact, that’s the government’s duty, one that’s been neglected for over half a century, thanks to the spineless politicians and sellouts in Washington. Finally, being a sanctuary for the hard-luck cases of the world just isn’t America’s job.

If you want to support our work, please send us a donation by going to our Entropy page and selecting “send paid chat.” Entropy allows you to donate any amount from $3 and up. All comments will be read and discussed in the next episode of Counter-Currents Radio, which airs every Friday.