Question:
Mexican Passport Discrimination in Mexico?
Answer:
I was born in Acapulco, but look like a gringo and speak with an accent.
Thanks to my mom coming over the border, I am a Mexican by birth.
I have had multiple instances where Mexican officials refused to recognize
my Mexican Passport, and actually asked me for another one!
This has never happened in an airport. In the airport the immigration
officials are much less uptight and say "Mira el Mexicano gringo," or
"Se parece Russo."
I usually Explain to them that Article 30 of the Mexican Constitution
says I am Mexican by birth, and that Article 33 defines a foreigner as
someone not having the qualities of a Mexican defined in Article 30.
Once I even showed it to them. Then I tell them the Mexican Nationality
law requires me to be a national within Mexico, without exception.
http://mexico.udg.mx/politica/constitucion/t1cap2.html
http://mexico.udg.mx/politica/constitucion/t1cap3.html
Then I tell them Article 12 of the Mexican Nationality Law requires me to
be in Mexico as a national without exception.
http://www.sre.gob.mx/juridicos/leydenacionalidad.htm
Then I ask them to show me the law.
The officials who have refused to recognize my Mexican Passport
incudes, Immigration at Guerrero Negro in July. He wanted me to get
a tourist card. He said they didn't have the law and declared, "Soy el
Jefe!" Only after I told him I had no other passport with me, he said
I knew the law well and told me to be careful.
A customs officer in Tecate asked me for identification. I handed him
my Mexican passport. He was displesed and said he asked for
identification. I told him it was valid identification and I wouldn't
give him anything else.
The temporary car import office demanded I import my car on a U.S.
passport and argued for quite a long time. On the back of my import
permit it said Mexicans who are not residents of Mexico may have
a temporary import permit.
The worst was Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara which demanded
I leave the country and re-enter on an illegal visa or I couldn't continue
to study Medicine there. This from the general manager Lic. Adriana
Rojo, who said, "Nuestro custumbres son la ley," as she pushed the
constitution and the nationality laws I presented her away. Facism is
alive and well in the world.
Hee hee! Now you got a taste of what Mexicans in the U.S. frequently
complain about. Of course, the Mexican government is always outraged
when any Mexican is harassed like this in by the U.S., but it seems
that same Mexican government has no problem harassing even its own
citizens if they are perceived as American. But an American of
Mexican descent would have grounds for a huge lawsuit if he were
treated like this by American authorities, but I'm sure you'll find
you have no grounds to sue under Mexican law.
In Mexico there is discrimination against white people I'm tired of
being treated with names like "güero", or "güerito".
I would not say necessarily "against"; in fact, many discriminate
against those of darker skin (as has been often pointed out and can be
verified by looking at commercials and programs on TV, or at a picture
of cabinet ministers, or at a gallery of former presidents). There are
certainly a hell of a lot of stupid stereotypes going both ways, and
there is a lot of stupid ->distinctions<- (both for and against)
people of lighter and of darker skin/hair/eyes/etc.
Letting aside the fact that there is discrimination in did, I would like to
point out that, in many places, there's a strong tendency to remark
difference in a natural and no offensive ways that we can't look just from
an European perspective. Such places have a very old and cultural popular
tradition, in a real friendly sense, of putting names on people. I don't
really know if that's because the "Indian" heritage and their ways, but
their remarks are truly friendly, and in a lot of circumstances are the
obvious remarks of a BIG difference not common o commonly present in a
group.
How far can this remarks go or affect individuals?
that's something that malicious individuals (most likely popular urban
subculture) can push beyond it's friendly hommie limits.
In the American way (American from America, not US) the way to diminish a
possible unfriendly connotation is to use the "diminutive" ending in "ito",
"ita" ... like trying to soften the remark.
In the European way, "ito" and "ita" endings can be used in a malicious
sense more alike the despective "illo" or "illa" endings. Although, even in
Spain, this despective endings can be absolutely friendly too, all is about
context and intentions.
When I was a child, my uncle, who loved me a lot, used to call me "gordito"
and in the street my brother was called "guerito" and my uncle and Mom
too... "gueritas"... even when they are white in skin but with black hair.
Later on, my bro was called "flaco" and I had may dear friends who we called
"el gordo", "el chino", el chaparro"... even more, remarks were made on
silly physical aspects, and I had friends called "el narizon", "el cabezon",
"el Paton"... and a lot more! and we were friends and nobody took offence on
that... well maybe we didn't like such a names but... come on! you better
don't think about it too much and be conscious of the ground you are on
and... don't worry, be happy ;-)
Remarks are not always because of race like in US, in Mex they can be that,
but most of the time are just for the peculiarity in itself.
It doesn't bother me one bit to be called guerro or gringo. I
wasn't talking about name calling.
It is just really sad that Mexican officials ask me to
commit illegal expatriating acts. It is sad Mexican
officials prefer a foreign passport over their own. It is
sad that even the immigration officials don't recognize
the constitution or nationality laws as valid.
It depends where you live in Mexico, I have two nephews in Monterrey,
N.L. Mexico, they are the son and daugther of my sister, and they were
born Albinos,very white, they have never had a problem in Monterrey,
where more than 50 % of the citizens are whites, but when they go to
Mexico, DF or to Mazatlan, Acapulco, etc. that is when they have a
problem.
When they visited me in San Francisco, my son took Carlos my nephew to
an Irish bar, the district where we live there are many Irish, in fact
many of my son's school friends, are Irish. So when my son took Carlos
my nephew to the Bar "Cork and Bottle" they were playing pool, and
speaking in Spanish, so the old customers at the bar that have seen my
son playing there with his Irish friends, asked him: how come he does
not speak English?, and immediately my son responded: He is from
Mexico, you see the Mexican growers hired many Irish to work on the
fields, so they stayed in Mexico, he is one of the descendants of
these Irish.
They finally got the joke,
Enrique, so not feel discriminated, after all, all the Telenovelas
actors, and many of the talk show directors, they dye their hair
blonde, one of every 10 women in Mexico, would like to have blond
heir. This is true in all Latin america, that is why you see Laura,
Christina, etc. wearing a wig or they dye thair hair, what you think
is discrimination, in reality it is jelousy.
I wonder how much authority a Mexican passport carries with it
when brothers of the president of Mexico can obtain authentic
passports issued under false names? (Raúl Salinas and the
passport with his picture on in found in the Swiss safe deposit
box with the name "Juan Guillermo Gomez-Gutierrez".)
Enrique, the problem, more than anything else is simple ignorance.
And you're right, it is sad. If these officials receive training when
they are hired, they more often than not receive no further official
training. This, in large part, is due to lack of resources, and an
expectation/belief that if you work at something every day, you'll be
aware of changes. Of course, this makes it difficult for them to keep up
with changes in the law, if none of them are learning of it or getting
training.
Now, in your original post you were not clear about the timings of
your obtaining the various passports/nationalities you carry, and that
may in fact make a difference in how you are affected by the law,
especially the new Nationality law. I personally have never seen any
particular preference by officials for foreign passports over Mexican
passports, and I frequently travel with people with multiple passports.
I have experienced the fact (and frustration) of different Mexican
agencies not recognizing, either cognitively or legally, documents that
were newly issued by other Mexican agencies, since they had never seen
such a document before. Most of these agencies were able to eventually
get confirmation, from either a superior or by contacting the issuing
agency, that the documents I presented were genuine.
What was really frustrating was when an office of the agency that
issued the document doesn't know about that type of document. I have
also been told several times, by different agencies, that a Passport
issued by a consulate in a foreign territory, will not be considered an
official document or identification within Mexico. The consulate that
issued the passport differs in opinion.
