Lessons from Mexico - A first-hand account
Published by Professor Les September 5th, 2007 in Mexico, Current Events. Tags: No Tags.Editor’s Note: Mark Alvarez is well known in Salt Lake City. He is a member of the bar in Maryland and Utah. Mark speaks Spanish fluently and has been active in the Latino community. In 2003, the Utah State Bar named Mark Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year, largely for cases arising out of labor disputes at the Gateway project and out of the immigration raid at the Salt Lake City Airport. In 2004, Mark cowrote the script for a fifty-minute Spanish language video on immigration and police issues. From 2004 to 2006, Mark worked for Mayor Rocky Anderson as the Salt Lake City administrator of minority affairs. He has been in Mexico for three months now and I’ve asked him to share a few thoughts about our southern neighbor.
Three years ago, my wife Lorena Gomez originated the Spanish-English dual-language program at Salt Lake City’s Montessori Community School. The program flourished, generated a waiting list and inspired one parent to help found the Dual Immersion Academy, a charter school that opened this year.
In June, Lorena and I moved to Mexico City with plans to set up a dual-language preschool and contribute our grain of sand to long-term resolution of migration challenges. Lorena had all the materials ready, but we ran into bureaucracy.
In Mexico, the Department of Public Education controls official credentials and certification. Because schools and businesses place emphasis on official credentials and certification, the Department of Public Education effectively governs all schools, public and private. Private schools must meet strict space and programming requirements.
Lorena and I take the bureaucratic challenge with philosophy: the government has logical reasons for strict regulation of schools, the need to improve education and the requirement that education be secular. At times, the church–the Catholic Church–has exerted undue influence on schools, public and private.
The bureaucracy extends through the Mexican system and impedes development of the formal economy. Business startup costs are high, and the regulatory system appears rigged to protect and strengthen an economic establishment. It no longer shocks that Mexico’s Carlos Slim has become the richest man in the world while more than 40 percent of Mexicans live in poverty.
The general statistics are shocking. The official unemployment rate in July was 3.95 percent. However, 27.13 percent of the active population in Mexico worked off the books in the informal economy. Many of these workers sell products from vending stands in the streets.
The government seeks to incorporate informal workers into the formal economy. This challenge is daunting. Vending stands fill the streets in some sections of Mexico City. Passerby in the Historic District can purchase DVDs of recently-released movies for 20 pesos, about $1.80 in the U.S. “The Simpsons” was on DVD within a week of its theatrical release.
Piracy is wrong. However, F. Scott Fitzgerald provided a guideline for those who wish to judge: “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in the world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” Some of those buying pirated DVDs and CD struggle to survive on a minimum wage of approximately $4.50 per day.
A related problem concerns government officials who look the other way, often for a price. Last weeks near the Indios Verdes Metro Station, police walked through an area known for contraband. Interestingly, vendor spots for DVDs and CDs were empty. Likely, someone tipped off vendors in the area or the vendors have sharp early-warning systems.
The federal police opened an investigation concerning two contraband markets in Queretaro, approximately 100 miles from Mexico City. Several people told stories about paying off the police there in order to avoid losing saleable products. Always clever, vendors stocked out-of-date products on the day of a raid. The police arrived and confiscated the old products. They did not arrest anyone. The following day, newer products went back on display.
The “mordida,” “bite” or “bribe” in English, still exists in Mexico despite government and societal efforts at eradication. Posters line the Metro with the advice: “do not pay bribes.” A number has been set up for “Honestel,” “honest telephone,” so that people can report dishonest officials.
On a positive note, the National Migration Institute in Mexico approved my paperwork within 60 days. It took United States Citizenship and Immigration Services 360 days to approve Lorena’s paperwork.
I have heard many stories about immigration, including one of a Chilean and a Mexican who lived in West Jordan, Utah. They have fond memories of Utahns mixed with contempt for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Another Mexican has valid papers to travel to the United States, but he resents being treated as a suspect every time he goes there.
Lorena and I keep struggling through the bureaucracy here, but mostly with a smile. Mexico City is surprisingly walkable and filled with fascinating people, museums food and architecture.
Interesting. We think our bureaucracy here in Utah is bad.
We are struggling with vendor carts and the issues revolving around santitation, regulations, locations, etc.
Bureaucracy is part of the challenge, but we try to temper all the bureaucracy with common sense.
It is a challenge-but I found your stroy most interesting.