The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) closely monitors a special class of migrants in Mexico—known as Special Interest Aliens (SIAs)—that are thought to have ties to terrorist groups, according to a declassified document obtained by the National Security Archive and cited in an important new report on Mexico’s southern border published this week by the … Continue reading
Recently, our colleagues at Fundar discovered a truly bizarre document buried deep inside the Web site of Mexico’s National Institute for Migration (INM): an 86-page report featuring graphic photos of the body art adorning the bodies of Mexican and Central American gang members. (You can download the full report here.) In some cases, the individuals … Continue reading
Recently, the Archive launched a new round of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests on what has become one of the most controversial immigration enforcement initiatives in the United States: the Secure Communities deportation program. The data-sharing program requires participating state and municipal jurisdictions to run the fingerprints of arrestees through various federal law enforcement … Continue reading
Newly-released documents about a controversial U.S. program that forces deportees aboard flights to Mexico City show that in 2012 U.S. and Mexican negotiators clashed over the rights of migrants drawn into the initiative and the U.S. push to make participation compulsory for certain kinds of deportees. Mexico also worried about “appearing ‘complicit’” with U.S. deportation … Continue reading
Migration Declassified 