







More than a million people in Mexico are descendants of African slaves and identify themselves as "black", "dark" or "Afro-Mexican," although sometimes they do not have black skin. But beyond the state of Oaxaca, they are little known and community leaders are now warning against possible radical measures to obtain official recognition.





"The police made me sing the national anthem three times because they thought I was not Mexican," said el Chogo Bandeno, a black Mexican singer-songwriter. "I had to list the governors of five states too."





He was visiting the capital, Mexico City, hundreds of miles from his home in southern Mexico, when the police arrested a suspected illegal immigrant.









Fortunately his interpretation of the anthem and knowledge of political leaders convinced the police to let him go, but other Afro-Mexicans not so lucky, were deported to Haiti. "The police insisted that in Mexico there are no black people. Despite having Mexican identification cards on them, they were deported.





The Mexican Embassy in Port-au-Prince has quietly managed the case when the news had finally get its attention. Some of them were able to return, but were offered no apology or compensation, said Lopez.





The Haitian government has not even been made aware of the incidents.









This is not the first incident about black people deported to Haiti. There are many reports of people being deported from the Bahamas, Turkey and Caicos Islands, Jamaica, United States, of course, the Dominican Republic; some were deported for "looking like a Haitian," as is widely practiced in the Dominican Republic; and some are criminals, too dangerous for their own country.









This is a systematic problem that must be addressed by the Haitian government.









The Embassy of Mexico should make a statement to explain why blacks from Mexico are being deported to Haiti solely on the basis of "looking like a Haitian" The Ambassador of Mexico should clarify whether "looking like a Haitian" is a crime in his country.





Mexico has been so adamant in criticizing Donald Trump as a racist for his comments regarding Mexican immigrants in the United States, but have failed to address and acknowledge Its own systematic racism against Mexicans of Afro descent.













Mexican embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti





No.48, Rue Metelus, Petion Ville

Port au Prince

Haiti

TELEPHONE (+509) 28 130 089

(+509) 28 130 049





FAX EMAIL embhaiti@sre.gob.mx

embmxhai@yahoo.com embamex.sre.gob.mx/haiti/

OFFICE HOUR 09.00-17.00