That is not hyperbole. Throughout history, peoples are judged not only for their generosity to their own but also to strangers. Mexico has a history of nobility with the persecuted. How many Mexicans owe their lives to the generosity of our land with our ancestors? How many of us are descended from immigrants, from refugees? The best version of Mexican history is not just an anecdote: it should be a moral compass.
And, although it hurts, it must be stressed even in fatigue: on this issue, we are not even remotely at the height of the best in our history. Quite the opposite. Think about this, dear reader. The brutal accident in Chiapas outrageous. But there is something that is even more outrageous: the lack of outrage in Mexican society. Don’t you think that the details of what we saw in Chiapas would merit a major claim to regional immigration policy? Does some empathy for the one who pays for everything, leaves everything in order to find a life for his family? A bit of demand for the government of Mexico and the United States to stop empty rhetoric (“we will protect migrants,” blah, blah, blah) and live up to their moral promise in the face of migration? Of course yes!
