American dream ends in mass graves for migrants heading north
11 July 2011
美國夢˙死亡收場 2011年7月11日 張佩英譯
作者：Gallardo神父，馬塔莫羅斯市（Matamoros）明愛會移民之家主任；馬市在墨美邊界上，靠墨西哥灣。
有人離開自己的家鄉去追逐「美國之夢」，卻以來到我們的「移民之家」尋求住宿、衣物和協助作為收場。
大多數來到這裡的人都已精疲力竭；他們或曾被綁架，到這裡時都還驚魂未定，滿是懼怕。他們被拷打過、虐待過，情況極為悽慘。
來求助的大多數是男人，婦幼不多。也有人帶著孩童前來，卻不能證明是自己的小孩。我們猜他們想把孩子帶到美國投靠親生父母。
過去24年，我們一直為該地教區的移民服務。我們本來是要接待來自墨西哥中部和南部的移民，後來情況有了很大的轉折，中美和南美的人也來了。薩爾瓦多、宏都拉司、瓜地馬拉、尼加拉瓜、巴拿馬、哥斯大黎加、巴西和其他國家的人都有。
這些嘗試從自己國家移入美國的貧窮老百姓最終還是被美國政府驅逐出境，他們當時的身體和精神狀況往往都很差。
被驅逐的多半是男性，家人則留在美國，暫時投靠親戚；男人們就留在墨西哥邊境等待與妻兒團聚。
這種混亂情況對小孩很是艱難；其中一些孩子根本不會說母語（西班牙語），也不知父母的文化為何物。被驅逐出境的會想盡辦法再度進入美國。他們對自己說：「我回（家鄉）去，但會再回（到美國）來。」
光是2010年，我們就協助了1萬3千個移民。他們來到我們這裡，除了需要食物、衣服、鞋子、醫療、心理與法律諮商外，也會要求使用電話或給他們錢作旅費。
他們告訴我們許多恐怖的綁架與勒索的事件：如何陷入犯罪集團手中，然後被逼作奸犯科。那些黑幫給他們看如何殺人，以及他們都要幹些什麼活的錄影帶。
在我們教區聖費南多城（San
Fernando）內，去年就找到72個中美洲移民的屍體。只有一個厄瓜多爾人逃過一劫。明愛會在他脫困後，給了他物質的幫助及精神的安慰。
大量死亡只是拉丁美洲人民移民美國悲慘遭遇的冰山一角。最近幾年，移民的方法愈來愈老練巧妙，不過虐待、綁架、敲詐及失蹤的事件仍然層出不窮。
國際社會應對拉丁美洲人民移民美國一事投入更多的關注。移民的人權需要得到更優先的考量，地主國需要更積極地改善移民條例。
中南美主教團認為各國政府沒有善盡保護移民的責任。
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原文
By Fr. Francisco Gallardo, director of the Caritas migrant house
at Matamoros, near Mexico’s border with the USA.
People leave their homes in search of the “American dream” but they end up
coming to us looking for lodging, clothes and help.
Many of them arrive completely exhausted. There are people who’ve been kidnapped
and who come to us full of fear. They’ve been tortured and abused and are in a
pitiful state.
Most of those who come to us are men. There are very few women and children.
Sometimes people come with children but they can’t prove they are their parents.
We think that they’re taking the children to their real parents in the US.
We’ve been working with migrants in this diocese for the past 24 years.
Originally, we opened our doors to migrants who came from the centre and the
south of Mexico. But then the situation became more dramatic and people started
to come from the Central and South America: from El Salvador, Honduras,
Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Brazil and other countries.
Often attempts to migrate from the poverty of their country ends up the migrant
being deported from the US. Those who are deported are usually in a very bad
physical and mental state.
Many times those deported are men. Their families are in the US along with relatives. The men wait along the Mexican border for their wives and children to join them.
For
the children the chaos of the situation is very difficult. Sometimes they don't
even speak Spanish and have had no experience of their parents’ culture. Those
who are deported sometimes try to get back into the US. They say to themselves,
“ I’ll go back home and then I’ll come back again.”
In 2010 alone we helped 13,000 deported migrants. When they come to us, as well
as needing food, clothes, shoes, medical help and psychological and legal
guidance, they ask to use the phone and for money for their journey.
The migrants tell us terrifying stories of extortion and kidnapping. They tell
us how they fall into the hands of criminal groups who involve them in crimes.
The bands show them videos of how they kill people to show them what will be
their “job”.
Just last year in San Fernando in our diocese the bodies of 72 Central American
migrants were found. There was just one Ecuadoran who had survived and we at
Caritas were able to offer him material and spiritual comfort after his ordeal.
Mass graves are just part of the reality of migration from Latin American to the
US. Over the past few years, methods of migration have become more sophisticated
but the maltreatment, kidnapping, extortion and the disappearance of migrants
continue.
There needs to be greater international awareness about migration from Latin
America to the US. The human rights of migrants need to become a greater
priority for the international community and the countries which accept migrants
need to actively seek migration reform.
Bishops
from North and South American say governments are failing to protect migrants
The
Detention and Repatriation of Unaccompanied Central American Children from
Mexico
– Report by Catholic Relief Services (a US member of Caritas)