Human Rights Group Urges End to Vigilantism
The Ibero-American Federation of Ombudsmen on Friday urged the United States to punish U.S. citizens organizing vigilante programs to hunt down illegal immigrants.
The association, grouping human rights watchdogs from Spain, Portugal and Latin America, said in a statement issued in Mexico City that Washington should “guard against, control and punish the hunting of illegal immigrants by private groups on the southern border of its territory.”
Millions of Latin Americans live in the U.S., some of them illegally. Most come from Mexico, which shares a 2,100-mile border with the United States.
Relations between Mexico and the U.S. have often been strained because of Mexico’s perception that the rights of its citizens are being abused when they cross the border.
Mexican President-elect Vicente Fox, who takes office Friday, has proposed addressing the migrant issue within the framework of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
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