2009 10 14: Economía, crimen, drogas, corrupción. Problemas en México

Source:  Mitofsky & PEW

WASHINGTON.? Aquejados por la crisis económica, por el flagelo del crimen, el narcotráfico y la violencia y por una corrupción de carácter multigeneracional ?una inmensa mayoría de mexicanos se declaran actualmente insatisfechos con el rumbo que lleva el país?.

Aunado a ello, el convencimiento de que quienes abandonan el país tienen más oportunidades de escapar de la pobreza, se ha extendido a niveles sin precedentes. En la actualidad, casi seis de cada 10 mexicanos (57%) consideran que aquellos que han emigrado a Estados Unidos ?gozan de una mejor vida? y uno de cada tres confiesan que si tuvieran la oportunidad se mudarían a la Unión Americana, con o sin autorización del gobierno de aquel país.

Esta percepción era del 51% apenas hace dos años.

La radiografía del pesimismo y la frustración entre los mexicanos es el resultado de un estudio demoscópico elaborado por el Pew Research Center, como parte del denominado Proyecto de Actitudes Globales 2009, en un universo de mil adultos entrevistados entre el 26 de mayo y el 2 de junio pasados.

Los resultados son sólo la confirmación estadística de lo que muchos mexicanos experimentan en su vida cotidiana con problemas derivados por el desempleo, la violencia subyacente a un entorno económico adverso o a la guerra sin cuartel contra el narcotráfico que se libra en la actualidad.

Pero también por la corrupción que lo trastoca todo y una frustración que sigue empujando a cientos de miles hacia Estados Unidos, aunque según la encuesta, en un porcentaje más moderado ya que, de cada diez entrevistados, cuatro aseguraron conocer a alguien que se regresó de la Unión Americana ante la falta de oportunidades y la recesión.

Un dato que concuerda con los últimos indicadores de la Oficina del Censo estadounidense, que ha constatado la significativa reducción de la inmigración desde México ante el reforzamiento de la seguridad fronteriza y el aumento del desempleo en Estados Unidos, que registra en 9.7% a nivel nacional.

Políticos, mal calificados

Entre los entrevistados, la clase política mexicana es la peor valorada. El consenso mayoritario (94%) considera que los políticos corruptos representan el más grave problema de la nación, mientras que 68% considera que los políticos por sí mismos representan un gran inconveniente para el desarrollo del país y la recuperación económica.

Pero, además, un porcentaje significativo de mexicanos están conscientes de la mala imagen de la nación en el extranjero. Según la encuesta, 61% considera que la reputación de México está muy poco valorada en el extranjero.

Crimen organizado

Una percepción reforzada constantemente por los medios de comunicación en Estados Unidos, para los cuales México es sinónimo de violencia y narcotráfico y de ejércitos de inmigrantes que han sido expulsados por un sistema político tan corrupto como desigual.

En medio de este panorama, resulta sorprendente que 87% de los entrevistados se declaren ?relativamente satisfechos? con sus propias vidas y que 54% considere que su situación económica es ?buena?. Además, aunque 69% considera que el estado actual de la economía en su país es malo, 61% espera que la situación mejore para la mayoría en los próximos doce meses.

Sin embargo, el nivel de satisfacción económica de los mexicanos ha retrocedido seis puntos porcentuales en relación con el año pasado.

Otro de los puntos que destaca el informe del Pew Research Center es el apoyo mayoritario (83%) a la estrategia de utilizar al Ejército mexicano en la lucha contra los carteles de la droga que, junto con la corrupción, representan otro de los grandes problemas para la mayoría de los entrevistados (95%).

La encuesta también señaló que 81% de los mexicanos considera el crimen como el mayor problema que enfrenta el país en la actualidad, seguido de la situación económica (75%), las drogas ilícitas (73%) y la corrupción de los dirigentes políticos (68%).

2009 10 06: Immigration Hard-Liner Has His Wings Clipped

Source(s): NY Times (10/06/2009) & (03/03/2009) + GAO Report

PHOENIX — The Maricopa County sheriff, who has drawn scorn and praise for a running crackdown on illegal immigrants in this city’s metropolitan area, said Tuesday that federal officials had taken away his deputies’ authority to make immigration arrests in the field.

The sheriff, Joe Arpaio, whose high-profile sweeps have been cited in the fevered debate over the need for an overhaul of immigration laws, said he had sought a renewed agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to allow both field arrests and immigration checks at his jails. But a high-level department official presented a document a couple of weeks ago allowing only for jail checks, Mr. Arpaio said.

That prompted an angry, rambling outburst from the sheriff Tuesday at a news conference at which he called Homeland Security officials “liars” and vowed to press on with his campaign, using state laws, against illegal immigrants. He said he would drive those caught on the streets to the border if federal officers refused to take them into custody.

Homeland Security officials declined to comment, saying they are still reviewing their agreement with the sheriff’s department and the other 65 agencies that participate in a program that allows local and state officers to make immigration arrests.

Immigrant advocates and some lawmakers have called on the department to end the program, known as 287(g) after the section of the 1996 law that authorized it, saying it has led to racial profiling and other abuses. Several advocates put out statements Tuesday expressing dismay that the department was keeping any relationship with Mr. Arpaio.

Last week, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus wrote to President Obama, urging him to “immediately terminate” the program because of the complaints.

A report this year by Congress’ watchdog, the Government Accountability Office, found that the program had not been closely supervised and that it had often led to the arrest of minor offenders instead of the criminals it was intended to pursue.

The Homeland Security Department has sought to mend it the program, not end it.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency that runs it, this summer announced an overhaul of the program and sought to reach new agreements with the agencies involved. Two agencies in Massachusetts have since announced their withdrawal from the program.

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, with some 160 federally trained deputies, is the largest in the program and the most closely scrutinized by people on all sides of the immigration debate.

Mr. Arpaio conceded that the vast majority of the 33,000 arrests of illegal immigrants his office has made in the past two years under the agreement followed a check on the immigration status of people in jails. About 300 have been arrested in the field during “crime suppression” operations, he said. He called those arrests symbolically important.

“It has to do with public perception,” he said, noting reports that some illegal immigrants are leaving the area in part because of his deputies. “I think the bad guys apparently are leaving because they know they are here illegally. This is a crime deterrent program, too.”

In March, the Justice Department’s civil rights division announced that it was investigating the department, but Mr. Arpaio has conducted sweeps since then and he predicted that he would be exonerated.

The Maricopa agreement was also being watched to see if Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, a Democrat and the former governor of Arizona, would take the opportunity to rein in Mr. Arpaio, a Republican and one of the state’s most popular figures. Although they did not often clash publicly, their political supporters often lashed out at one another.

By the account of Mr. Arpaio and his aides, he signed a copy of a new agreement on Sept. 21, allowing for both field and jail arrests. But that evening, Alonzo Pena, a top Immigration and Customs Enforcement official, called from Washington and said he would be arriving in Phoenix the next day to discuss it.

After he arrived, Mr. Pena presented Mr. Arpaio another agreement that allowed only for jail checks.

Mr. Arpaio signed it, but it still must be approved by the county’s governing board. The board has been sympathetic to Mr. Arpaio on immigration matters, but he suggested the vote was far from a done deal.

Either way, he and his supporters vowed to press on.

Andrew Thomas, the county attorney, appeared with Mr. Arpaio to voice his support and condemn the “setback in the fight against illegal immigration.” Mr. Thomas said, “The fight goes on.”

He and Mr. Arpaio suggested that deputies could use the state anti-human smuggling law to make stops and refer suspected illegal immigrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, though it was not clear whether the agency would take them.

If not, the sheriff said, “I’ll take a little trip to the border and turn them over to the border.”

By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD