Stop the Imprisonment of Human Rights Defenders and End the Criminalization of Migrants and Refugees

US and Mexican Government

Haz clic para Espanol

Thank you for your support for jailed human rights defenders in Mexico! Here’s an update on the big events of the last couple of days:

After a 13-hour hearing for Cristobal, ending around 9pm Tuesday night, followed immediately by an 8-hour hearing for Irineo that lasted a until 6 in the morning Wednesday, the federal district court judge in Tapachula ruled not to indict in either case and both were freed by morning.

We express our deep gratitude to everyone who has contributed, by signing the support letter for Cristobal and Irineo, sharing updates and urgent actions on social media, or participating in vigils and delegations- leading up to the hearings, solidarity groups delivered letters to Mexican government officials and consulates in Washington, DC, Los Angeles, San Diego, Madrid, Tijuana, Tapachula, Mexico City, and San Francisco, among others. It’s because of this extraordinary wave of support that Irineo and Cristobal received a fair hearing and were released.

We remain deeply concerned, though, that the judge decided to leave the investigative process open, and today the prosecution announced their intention to appeal the judge’s ruling of no indictment in Irineo’s case. We remain deeply concerned about the continued criminalization of Irineo and Cristobal, as well as other humanitarian aid workers here in Mexico and in the United States.

We are working to raise funds to pay Irineo and Cristobal’s legal defense expenses- probably around $7,000 already, and likely more than $10,000 total by the end of this week.

Please share the page for their legal fund here, and contribute if you’re able: https://chuffed.org/project/defend-irineo-defend-cristobal-defend-human-rights

We hope to have a positive update early next week to let everyone know the news in Irineo and Cristobal’s cases, and what next steps can be taken to continue to defend them (if needed) and to resist Trump’s effort to criminalize all migrants and refugees from the US to Central America.

Love and solidarity,
The Pueblo Sin Fronteras team



We, the undersigned, demand:

  • The immediate release of imprisoned human rights defenders Cristóbal Sánchez Sánchez and Irineo Mújica in Mexico

  • An end to the criminalization of humanitarian aid workers in the United States and throughout the Americas

  • An end to the campaign of harassment against migrant and refugee families and the suspension of US military aid to repressive governments in Guatemala and Honduras.

During the last 10 days, the Trump administration has launched a new wave of coordinated repression across four countries to bolster brutal Central American governments and intimidate and terrorize migrant and refugee families and the human rights workers who defend them.

Since April, Honduran teachers and health workers have led a popular mobilization against the right-wing government of Juan Orlando Hernandez in Honduras, which has enjoyed political support and military aid from the United States, since claiming power after a widely-criticized fraudulent election in 2017. On May 29th, the international press revealed investigations into Juan Orlando Hernandez’s ties to drug trafficking, just months after his brother was arrested for arranging paramilitary security operations for shipments of thousands of pounds of cocaine into the United States. Two days after these revelations, the US embassy publicly celebrated their “strong relationship with the government of Honduras,” even as soldiers are deployed in the streets to suppress the anti-government protests and dozens of Honduran political prisoners are being held for opposing the regime. Active-duty United States forces are currently deployed in Honduras in support of the Honduran dictatorship.

On May 28th, the Trump administration and the right-wing government of Jimmy Morales in Guatemala announced a new agreement including the presence of United States soldiers in Guatemalan territory, with the stated goal of ‘stopping the flow of migrants’ in the same region where over 200,000 Guatemalans were killed by US-backed death squads during the genocide of the 1980’s.

On May 30th, Donald Trump announced a campaign of economic pressure against Mexico, declaring the imposition of 5% tariffs on all Mexican goods if Mexico didn’t act to imprison or deter migrants and refugees traveling through Mexico in search of safety. The Mexican government has complied with Trump’s demands, first on June 5th by arresting two prominent Mexican human rights defenders, Cristóbal Sánchez and Irineo Mújica on trumped-up charges of human trafficking. Both are well-known for their activism in defense of migrant rights and their personal commitment in risking their own safety to accompany refugees through some of the most dangerous areas of Mexico. As a result of their efforts, they have both been arrested multiple times previously while documenting and denouncing human rights abuses by Mexican officials, as well as receiving death threats from organized crime.

The same day, over 500 refugee families, primarily from Honduras, were arrested and imprisoned in Chiapas. On Thursday, the Mexican government announced that it would send 6,000 soldiers to the Mexican border with Guatemala, including areas where the Mexican army has waged a low-intensity war against its own population for decades. Yesterday, the Mexican government announced that they will cooperate with Trump administration schemes to block refugees’ right to receive asylum in the United States.

In the United States, the Trump administration continues to use ICE agents to target and detain undocumented activists, as well as developing Department of Homeland Security Databases used to surveil and harass human rights activists on the US/Mexico border. This week, the Trump administration is concluding a trial against a humanitarian aid worker who has been criminalized for sharing food and water in the Arizona desert.

We reject the Trump administration’s support for repressive governments in Central America, who force families from their homes, and we demand a suspension of military aid to Honduras and Guatemala.

We denounce the Trump administration’s attempts to bully the Mexican government into violating refugees’ human rights.

We demand the immediate liberation of human rights activists Cristobal Sanchez and Irineo Mujica in Mexico, and an end to the criminalization of humanitarian aid workers in the United States and throughout the Americas.

pueblos sin fronteras is looking for individual and organizational sign-ons to support Cristobal Sanchez and Ireneo Mujica and demand an end to the criminalization of humanitarian aid workers and immigrants and refugees. Please sign on today to support and DONATE TO ENSURE WE CAN ADVOCATE FOR THEIR FREEDOM!
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Cosecha

To: US and Mexican Government
From: [Your Name]

We reject the Trump administration’s support for repressive governments in Central America, who force families from their homes, and we demand a suspension of military aid to Honduras and Guatemala.

We denounce the Trump administration’s attempts to bully the Mexican government into violating refugees’ human rights.

We demand the immediate liberation of human rights activists Cristobal Sanchez and Irineo Mujica in Mexico, and an end to the criminalization of humanitarian aid workers in the United States and throughout the Americas.