Human rights crimes are the norm for migrants

Atrocious human rights crimes are the norm for undocumented migrants. These young men from Central America try to sleep while waiting for a northbound freight train near Mexico City. It must be noted it is legal for migrants to travel through Mexico to the US border but the Mexican government hasn’t done a damn thing to make it safe. To make the over 1,000 mile journey from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, etc., people have to jump on & off moving trains, called “la bestia” (the beast). Hundreds not only sustain serious injuries & amputations along the way, but also extreme violence, including robbery, assault, rape, murder. The media & government blame it on drug cartels but more likely the responsible are paramilitary & military forces attempting to deter migration. Under a dozen UN agreements (like the International Declaration of Human Rights), immigrants have rights under international law. But even the UN acknowledges these rights are “soft laws”, meaning they have absolutely no binding power on governments whether they sign them or not. The US, Mexico, Israel, are among the signatories on many of these agreements & are guilty of dozens of international crimes, including assassinations, false imprisonment, genocide, apartheid, occupation, torture, but of course they’re never held accountable in an international tribunal. Immigration is a human right. Open the borders! ((Photo by Marco Ugarte/AP)