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Somewhat off-topic, but an honest question: We hear that these people are all asylum-seekers, but asylum from what exactly? I was unaware that Mexico has mass

Somewhat off-topic, but an honest question: We hear that these people are all asylum-seekers, but asylum from what exactly? I was unaware that Mexico has mass political repression.

ordinaryradical 8y ago
They aren't just coming from Mexico. My wife teaches in inner city LA--a huge majority of her students have undocumented parents and they are from extremely unstable places like El Salvador. They came here because they don't want their children murdered by street violence. Not to mention, in Mexico specifically, it is cartel violence that people are largely escaping (assuming they aren't simply looking for better economic opportunity, which is also often the case).
ElectricalPast 8y ago
"The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum, from the Ancient Greek word ἄσυλον[1][2]) is an ancient juridical concept, under which a person persecuted by his own country may be protected by another sovereign authority, such as another country or church official, who in medieval times could offer sanctuary. This right was already recognized by the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Hebrews, from whom it was adopted into Western tradition." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_of_asylum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_of_asylum Asylum seekers do not have to be fleeing political persecution but violence or persecution in general. Furthermore, many of the people crossing at our southern border are not Mexicans. Many are central- and south-Americans fleeing horrible civil strife.
- sol_remmy 8y ago
  Except America does not practice the biblical definition of asylum just like it does not practice the biblical definition of marriage. And in the ancient days, you often had to live in a country such as Judea for three generations before being accepted as a member of the country. You couldn't seek asylum and then be voting in elections five years later.
pjc50 8y ago
http://www.msf.org/en/article/mexico-unsafe-country-thousands-refugees-fleeing-violence-central-america http://www.msf.org/en/article/mexico-unsafe-country-thousand... They're generally from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, fleeing through Mexico, which isn't a particularly safe place for them either.
SippinLean 8y ago
>I was unaware that Mexico has mass political repression Interesting, then you should really read almost any basic summary of Mexico's current government. http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/02/23/obama-pena-nieto-mexico-corruption/ http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/02/23/obama-pena-nieto-mexico-... Not to mention asylum in the US isn't only limited to political asylum >an applicant must establish that the government is either involved in the persecution, or unable to control the conduct of private actors https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asylum_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asylum_in_the_United_States
crooked-v 8y ago
> I was unaware that Mexico has mass political repression. You haven't been paying attention to the news. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/12/mexico-election-politicians-killed-fernando-puron-selfie https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/12/mexico-electio... > Purón was the 112th politician murdered in Mexico since September 2017 when the election process began, according to Etellekt, a risk analysis consultancy.

Somewhat off-topic, but an honest question: We hear that these people are all asylum-seekers, but asylum from what exactly? I was unaware that Mexico has mass political repression.

ordinaryradical 8y ago

They aren't just coming from Mexico. My wife teaches in inner city LA--a huge majority of her students have undocumented parents and they are from extremely unstable places like El Salvador. They came here because they don't want their children murdered by street violence. Not to mention, in Mexico specifically, it is cartel violence that people are largely escaping (assuming they aren't simply looking for better economic opportunity, which is also often the case).

ElectricalPast 8y ago

"The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum, from the Ancient Greek word ἄσυλον[1][2]) is an ancient juridical concept, under which a person persecuted by his own country may be protected by another sovereign authority, such as another country or church official, who in medieval times could offer sanctuary. This right was already recognized by the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Hebrews, from whom it was adopted into Western tradition." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_of_asylum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_of_asylum Asylum seekers do not have to be fleeing political persecution but violence or persecution in general. Furthermore, many of the people crossing at our southern border are not Mexicans. Many are central- and south-Americans fleeing horrible civil strife.

sol_remmy 8y ago
Except America does not practice the biblical definition of asylum just like it does not practice the biblical definition of marriage. And in the ancient days, you often had to live in a country such as Judea for three generations before being accepted as a member of the country. You couldn't seek asylum and then be voting in elections five years later.

pjc50 8y ago

http://www.msf.org/en/article/mexico-unsafe-country-thousands-refugees-fleeing-violence-central-america http://www.msf.org/en/article/mexico-unsafe-country-thousand... They're generally from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, fleeing through Mexico, which isn't a particularly safe place for them either.

SippinLean 8y ago

>I was unaware that Mexico has mass political repression Interesting, then you should really read almost any basic summary of Mexico's current government. http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/02/23/obama-pena-nieto-mexico-corruption/ http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/02/23/obama-pena-nieto-mexico-... Not to mention asylum in the US isn't only limited to political asylum >an applicant must establish that the government is either involved in the persecution, or unable to control the conduct of private actors https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asylum_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asylum_in_the_United_States

crooked-v 8y ago

> I was unaware that Mexico has mass political repression. You haven't been paying attention to the news. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/12/mexico-election-politicians-killed-fernando-puron-selfie https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/12/mexico-electio... > Purón was the 112th politician murdered in Mexico since September 2017 when the election process began, according to Etellekt, a risk analysis consultancy.