We condemn the deportation of colleagues from the Colombian agroecological movement by Mexican immigration authorities.
El CLACSO Working Group on Political Agroecology We express our solidarity with the injustice committed by the Mexican immigration authorities, emphatically stating our profound condemnation of these types of situations that are constantly repeated in Mexico when our Colombian brothers and sisters are deported, and in this case our colleagues from the Colombian Agroecological Movement, who were traveling fulfilling all legal requirements, with printed invitations and supported by academics from UNAM in Yucatán, to share with Mexicans who uphold their demands and struggles for food sovereignty under agroecological principles from their countries and territories.
This occurred within the context of the Colombian-German Agroecology Project, implemented jointly by the Colombian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. It is incomprehensible and shameful that these acts, which violate human rights and reflect racism and discrimination against our Colombian brothers and sisters, continue to take place, especially in a country like Mexico that defends native corn against genetically modified organisms.
We believe it is essential that these grievances be justly redressed with a public apology. We extend our sincerest solidarity to you. We were truly looking forward to welcoming you to our cornfields and family gardens. We call for reflection on the importance of guaranteeing dignified and respectful treatment to those who travel with the purpose of sharing knowledge and building bridges of learning and cooperation. We extend our sincerest solidarity to you. We were truly looking forward to welcoming you to our cornfields and family gardens.
December 3th 2024
CLACSO Working Group
Political agroecology
Manifesto of the Colombian Agroecological Movement
FROM THE COLOMBIAN AGROECOLOGICAL MOVEMENT
We condemn the discrimination against farmers in Mexico's immigration system!
The Colombian Agroecological Movement strongly condemns the events that occurred on November 30, 2024, at the Cancún airport, where a group of farmers and representatives of institutions committed to rural and agroecological development were detained, humiliated, and unjustly deported by Mexican immigration authorities. This harmful action is unjustifiable and must be redressed. This group, which was traveling with all the necessary legal documentation and support, intended to participate in an exchange of agroecological knowledge, an act of cooperation aimed at strengthening the sustainability of our territories.
However, they were attacked, stripped of their dignity, and deprived of their fundamental rights—humiliating treatment that leaves an indelible mark on our memory and spirit, as well as on our collective conscience as Latin American agroecological communities. We denounce this as not an isolated incident, but rather part of a worrying trend of discrimination and systematic racism against Latin American citizens by Mexican immigration officials. This situation constitutes a violation of human rights and a direct attack on peasant struggles, which seek to build bridges of learning and cooperation to address the common challenges facing our peoples. Unjustified deportation and mistreatment not only break the fabric of international cooperation but also shatter the trust of those of us working for a more just and sustainable future for all. Cooperating with Mexico should be a source of hope, not terror and uncertainty. We urgently call upon agroecological communities in Colombia, Latin America, and the world to reject these kinds of abuses and demand concrete actions for reparations, justice, and guarantees of non-repetition. We, the agroecological communities, cannot allow these actions to go unpunished.
We demand that the Government of Colombia, Mexico, and international authorities investigate these events and commit to protecting the rights of those of us who work tirelessly for the life, territory, and food sovereignty of the peoples of Abya Yala.
This text expresses the position of the aforementioned Working Group and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.
