VZCZCXRO0242
RR RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHME #1196/01 0672218
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 082218Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5714
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 MEXICO 001196 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM ELAB KFRD KWMN MX PHUM PREF SMIG
SUBJECT: SEVENTH ANNUAL TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) REPORT- MEXICO (PA 
 
REF: A. 06 STATE 202745     B. 06 MEXICO 6568     C. 06 MEXICO 3423 
 
 
NOTE: This is the first part of a three part cable. End note. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
------------ 
 
¶1. (SBU) The mission's point of contact on the 
Anti-Trafficking in Persons Report is Poloff Walter R. 
Miller.  He may be reached by telephone at (52) (55) 
5080-2000, ext. 4806, or by fax at (52) (55) 5080-2247.  Post 
requests that the names of the non-governmental organizations 
(NGOs) working with the Government of Mexico (GOM) providing 
victim protection and assistance not be disclosed in this 
context. Post also requests that the names and details of 
ongoing investigations not be made public. NOTE: This is a 
two part cable. End note. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Mexico is a country of origin, transit, and 
destination for persons trafficked for sexual and labor 
exploitation.  While there are no reliable figures as to the 
extent of the trafficking problem, Mexico's geographic 
location along primary transportation routes for illegal 
migration into the U.S. as well as the country's high level 
of organized criminal gang activity leaves little doubt that 
the transnational and domestic trafficking numbers are 
substantial. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The GOM has made significant and laudable 
advancements to address trafficking in persons in Mexico over 
the past year. While advancements are uneven across federal 
agencies, and expertise needs to be developed at all levels 
of government, the GOM has proactively addressed the 
trafficking problem, with measurable results, and can be 
expected to continue to build on its successes. In 
particular, the Federal Preventive Police (PFP) has been 
assertive in pursuing and investigating trafficking cases, in 
cooperation with other agencies. The GOM still needs to 
advance in the prosecution of cases and develop a better 
system to provide protection to victims. A significant 
obstacle preventing full GOM engagement in combating 
trafficking is the lack of a federal law explicitly 
criminalizing the activity.  A bill currently being reviewed 
by MexicoQ,s Chamber of Deputies, however, does provide 
federal sanctions. GOM reports that it expects the 
legislation will be ready for passage in April.  (MexicoQ,s 
Senate approved the legislation in December 2005). Despite 
the delays in Congress, the government has utilized current 
legislation available to fight trafficking Q) for instance, 
the smuggling of undocumented aliens, pimping and corruption 
of minors. At the state level, legislatures have surged ahead 
of their colleagues in the capital by passing three 
anti-trafficking laws. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The following significant steps forward in fighting 
TIP have taken place in Mexico since the March 2006 report: 
 
-- The states of Michoacan, Chihuahua and Guerrero (in June 
2006, November 2006 and January 2007, respectively) passed 
state anti-TIP legislation. 
 
-- The Congress passed reforms to the law against organized 
crime and corresponding changes to the penal code to 
strengthen the penalties against the commercial exploitation 
of minors in February 2007. The bill awaits the signature of 
the president. 
 
-- The Federal Preventive Police (PFP) appointed a designated 
TIP coordinator, who also leads the GOM Interinstitutional 
Working Group on Trafficking. 
 
-- 60 PFP officers participated in a 40-hour TIP training 
program and 300 PFP officers participated in a four-hour 
module training on trafficking at the police academy, among 
numerous other training courses in the last year. 
 
-- The PFP established five vetted investigative units, made 
up of 25 investigators, to exclusively pursue trafficking 
cases. 
 
-- PFP and the Mexican Senate launched separate media 
campaigns raising awareness of trafficking. 
 
-- The Attorney GeneralQ,s Office (PGR) prevailed in an 
appeal on TIP-related charges and convicted Consuelo Carreto 
Valencia, a leader of the Carreto trafficking ring, with a 
sentence of more than 25 years. 
 
-- GOM extradited Consuelo Carreto Valencia to the U.S. on 19 
January 2007 to face trafficking charges. 
 
MEXICO 00001196  002 OF 009 
 
 
 
-- On July 15, the US extradited to Mexico suspected 
trafficker Jean Succar Kuri, a prominent businessman, who is 
currently detained in Cancun and facing trafficking-related 
charges. 
 
-- INM issued the newly authorized humanitarian visas to 
trafficking victims, contingent on their participation in the 
prosecution. 
 
-- CNDH issued its first recommendation towards the federal 
government on a trafficking case. 
 
 
OVERVIEW 
-------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) QUESTION A. Is the country a country of origin, 
transit, or destination for internationally trafficked men, 
women, or children?  Provide, where possible, numbers or 
estimates for each group; how they were trafficked, to where, 
and for what purpose.  Does the trafficking occur within the 
country's borders?  Does it occur in territory outside of the 
government's control (e.g. in a civil war situation)?  Are 
any estimates or reliable numbers available as to the extent 
or magnitude of the problem?   What is (are) the source(s) of 
available information on trafficking in persons or what plans 
are in place (if any) to undertake documentation of 
trafficking? How reliable are the numbers and these sources? 
Are certain groups of persons more at risk of being 
trafficked (e.g. women and children, boys versus girls, 
certain ethnic groups, refugees, etc.)? 
 
POST RESPONSE: Mexico is a country of origin, transit, and 
destination for trafficked men, women, and children for 
purposes of sexual and labor exploitation.  Of those 
transited through or destined for Mexico, the vast majority 
of trafficking victims come from Central America, with a 
lesser number of victims originating from South America, the 
Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Asia.  Those in transit are 
largely trafficked to the United States. Most victims 
originating from Mexico also are trafficked to the U.S., with 
smaller numbers to Europe, Asia and Canada. Mexico has a 
significant problem with internal trafficking; often women 
and girls are trafficked to the northern border, most 
prominently Tijuana, or to cities where sex tourism is 
prevalent, like Cancun and Acapulco. 
 
According to a 2005 article (Asociacion Mexicana en Direccion 
de Recursos Humanos) and corroborated by experts, the 
following forms of trafficking can be associated with 
geographic regions of Mexico: domestic work and forced 
begging (principally among children, the elderly and 
disabled) are predominant in Mexico City, the State of Mexico 
and urban areas; labor exploitation is predominant in Oaxaca, 
Chiapas, Chihuahua and Veracruz; trafficking linked to 
cultural traditions (parents sell, rent or barter children 
for money or business) is prevalent in Oaxaca, Chiapas and 
Guerrero; and the sexual exploitation of children and women 
is prevalent in Acapulco, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Baja 
California and Mexico City. Many victims of internal 
trafficking in Mexico originated in Tlaxcala. 
 
There are no reliable statistics on the extent of the 
trafficking problem.  The government and civil society have 
expressed interest in conducting national studies on 
trafficking, but these initiatives have not been realized. 
Certain studies have targeted specific populations or 
geographic areas. The National Institute for Women 
(INMUJERES) - in collaboration with the Inter-American 
Commission for Women, Organization for American States (OAS) 
and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) - has 
completed and expects to publish imminently a study on 
trafficking in the southern region of the country, titled 
Q&The Trafficking of Women, Adolescents and Children in 
Mexico: An exploratory study in Tapachula, Chiapas.Q8 
 
Some statistics are available on specific trafficking victims 
and generally vulnerable populations. Mexico's family 
welfare agency, Desarollo Integral de la Familia (DIF), 
reported in July 2006 that approximately 20 thousand Mexican 
children are sexually exploited each year. This is an 
increase from an annual estimate of 16 thousand sexually 
exploited children according to the study "Stolen 
Childhood," published in 2000 by DIF, UNICEF and the Centro 
de Investigaciones y Estudios en Antropologia Social 
(Ciesas). The INM reported that approximately 180,000 
migrants, the vast majority from Central America, were 
detained in 2006; approximately 30 thousand were women and 
two thousand were minors. However, perhaps up to half a 
million in total crossed the border during the year. 
 
MEXICO 00001196  003 OF 009 
 
 
 
Other information on trafficking patterns that are available 
come from NGOs or academics; though, most often these reports 
tend to contain more anecdotal evidence than concrete 
statistics. In the April 2006 report by the UN Office on 
Drugs and Crime (UNODC), "Trafficking in Persons: Global 
Patterns," Mexico was ranked "high" (4 on a scale of 5) in 
the incidence of reporting of origin countries; "high" (4 
on a scale of 5) in the incidence of reporting of transit 
countries; and "medium" (3 on a scale of 5) in the 
incidence of reporting of destination countries. 
 
The populations most vulnerable to trafficking tend to be 
women and children (both boys and girls), undocumented 
migrants (most often from Central America), as well as 
indigenous groups. 
 
¶6. (SBU) QUESTION B. Please provide a general overview of the 
trafficking situation in the country and any changes since 
the last TIP report (e.g. changes in direction).  Also 
briefly explain the political will to address trafficking in 
persons. Other items to address may include:  what kind of 
conditions are the victims trafficked into?  Which 
populations are targeted by the traffickers?  Who are the 
traffickers?  What methods are used to approach victims? (are 
they offered lucrative jobs, sold by their families, 
approached by friends of friends, etc.?)  What methods are 
used to move the victims (e.g., are false documents being 
used?). 
 
POST RESPONSE: Political will to address the problem is high, 
evidenced by actions taken by the federal and state 
governments since the last TIP report.  Three states passed 
anti-trafficking legislation; the federal government 
extradited a convicted trafficker to the U.S.; MexicoQ,s 
Federal Police (PFP) established five investigative units 
exclusively dedicated to TIP; the National Migration 
Institute (INM) issued new humanitarian visas to trafficking 
victims; both the Senate and PFP undertook national media 
campaigns targeting TIP; federal and state agencies sponsored 
at least four conferences; PFP, INM and state law enforcement 
undertook various training programs on trafficking, including 
a 40-hour training for federal investigators.  Moreover, the 
media has covered the issues in scores of newspapers articles 
in the last year. Civil society, in its efforts to confront 
the problem, has significantly raised the profile of TIP in 
Mexico and has made measurable advancements in constructive 
cooperation with the government. 
 
Nonetheless, government efforts to fight trafficking need to 
expand to all federal agencies and national anti-TIP efforts 
need to be based on a comprehensive legal framework. While 
the Senate passed federal anti-trafficking legislation in 
December 2005, the lower chamber of Congress is still 
considering the legislation. 
 
Particularly notable in the past year, three states Q) 
Michoacan, Chihuahua and Guerrero Q) have shown resolve in 
the battle against TIP by passing legislation criminalizing 
trafficking, and Oaxaca is currently considering the same 
legislation.  Many states have held training sessions (see 
paragraph 25) for state security forces, and Quintana Roo and 
Guerrero expressed interest in creating task forces to 
address TIP. The increase of political will among states is 
significant in MexicoQ,s federal system, where states have 
responsibility to take the lead in pursuing many criminal 
cases. 
 
Because of the dearth of concrete statistics on trafficking, 
the increase in the numbers of victims or the kinds of 
trafficking victims is difficult to ascertain. The Bilateral 
Security Corridor Coalition (BSCC) reported a new trend, the 
trafficking of minors from the US for prostitution in Mexican 
border towns, most prominently in Tijuana. In July DIF stated 
publicly that an estimated 20 thousand children are sexually 
exploited annually in Mexico.  However, it is difficult to 
determine whether the increase is significant. While this is 
an increase over the 16 thousand DIF estimated in the 2000 
Q&Stolen ChildhoodQ8 report, the 2000 report based its 
figures on studies in only six cities and was one of the 
first studies of its kind in Mexico. 
 
Within Mexico, women and children from Mexico's poorest 
regions of Mexico move to the urban, tourist, and the 
northern border areas seeking economic opportunity, but they 
often end up working in the commercial sex industry or 
domestic work (or both) due to trickery, threats, or physical 
violence by traffickers. 
 
In addition, the continuing patterns of illegal migration 
from Mexico and Central America into the U.S. also put a 
 
MEXICO 00001196  004.2 OF 009 
 
 
larger number of vulnerable persons at risk for coming into 
contact with traffickers.  Migrants from Mexico and Central 
America (especially women and children) are frequently 
smuggled into the U.S. with promises of a lucrative job only 
to find themselves forced into prostitution or debt-bondage 
working conditions.  Some traffickers falsely offer victims 
help in reuniting them with family members in the U.S. Other 
common methods used to approach/target victims include 
placing ads in newspapers that invite girls to participate in 
international exchanges or to start lucrative modeling 
careers. Once the girl is isolated from family and friends, 
she is forced into prostitution. 
 
The widespread use of professional alien smugglers, 
contracted to help illegal migrants transit Mexico and cross 
into the U.S., increases the risk falling prey to trafficking 
networks.  Traffickers often employ alien smugglers to both 
target and transport victims. Alien smugglers use a wide 
variety of techniques to get people across the border, 
including false documents, hidden compartments, and dangerous 
desert crossings. Among legitimate transportation services, 
taxi drivers serve as guides and facilitators for sex 
tourists, common in border towns like Tijuana. 
 
Many organized criminal organizations from Mexico and other 
countries use Mexico as a staging and training area for women 
and young girls destined for brothels and table dance bars in 
the U.S. There is reported involvement of criminal gangs from 
Mexico, Central America, Russia, Japan, China and several 
other countries in the trafficking of victims across the 
U.S.-Mexico border. Trafficking is also operated by small 
family networks. 
 
For labor exploitation, traffickers often acquire legal work 
documents to transport victims to factories, where employers 
then confiscate documents and impose extreme working 
conditions.  Regional migrants within Mexico (such as farm 
workers from southern Mexico seeking work in northern states) 
are also victims of such exploitation. 
 
¶7. (SBU) QUESTION C.  What are the limitations on the 
government's ability to address this problem in practice? 
For example, is funding for police or other institutions 
inadequate?  Is overall corruption a problem?  Does the 
government lack the resources to aid victims? 
 
POST RESPONSE: The principle obstacle to effectively 
addressing trafficking in Mexico is the lack of a federal 
law, which would define the crime; delineate prevention, 
prosecution and victim-protection responsibilities among 
government agencies; and mandate personnel and funding to 
accomplish those responsibilities. 
 
TIP must also compete with other highly pressing law 
enforcement priorities in Mexico.  In recent years, the GOM 
has focused an increasing amount of human and financial 
resources toward the fight against narcotics trafficking and 
violence associated with the drug trade.  Although 
counter-TIP initiatives are given priority, TIP enforcers 
also must address the broader problem of spiraling violence 
and criminality in Mexico.  The GOM puts scarce TIP resources 
to good use, however, and has been willing to accept USG 
assistance.  Funds dedicated by the POTUS initiative 
contributed significantly to local efforts, particularly 
through ICE-coordinated law enforcement training, as well as 
USAID technical assistance programs.   In addition, USAIDQ,s 
TIP Shelter Project is working to strengthen current shelters 
willing to accept trafficking victims, giving Mexico time to 
establish its own shelters dedicated to trafficking victims. 
DOJ plans to provide a program of legal technical assistance 
and training. 
 
Last year, the GOM appointed a high level PFP officer 
responsible for trafficking Q) Jose Nemecio Lugo Felix, 
Director General for Smuggling and Contraband (with 
responsibility for trafficking) Q) and charged him with 
leading the GOM Interinstitutional Working Group on 
Trafficking in order to improve government cooperation.  The 
appointment of this official has added significant momentum 
to the fight against trafficking. 
 
Training needs to continue and expand in the areas of 
awareness-raising (the distinction between trafficking and 
smuggling remains unclear, particularly among local law 
enforcement); the identification and interaction with 
victims; and the provision of services to trafficking victims. 
 
A culture of impunity persists and corruption exists at all 
levels of government, especially at the state and local 
level, exacerbating the problem since traffickers can operate 
without fear of prosecution by simply paying off authorities. 
 
MEXICO 00001196  005 OF 009 
 
 
 
¶8. (SBU) QUESTION D. To what extent does the government 
systematically monitor its anti-trafficking efforts (on all 
fronts -- prosecution, prevention and victim protection) and 
periodically make available, publicly or privately and 
directly or through regional/international organizations, its 
assessments of these anti-trafficking efforts? 
 
POST RESPONSE. The GOM is increasing its capacity to 
systematically monitor its anti-trafficking efforts.  The PFP 
has provided to USG personnel carefully prepared 
presentations on trafficking cases.  Post is not aware of the 
GOM making any of this information public. PFP launched an 
internal database to track trafficking cases, principally for 
the use of its TIP investigators. However, because of the 
change in government in December 2006, the database has been 
inoperable but is expected to be reconstituted again under 
the new PFP anti-trafficking leadership (see paragraph 10). 
 
The PFP and Save the Children have entered into a formal 
collaborative relationship, to establish and manage an 
internet-based database among a network of civil society 
organizations that will help track missing persons, including 
potential trafficking victims. 
 
The Narcotics Affairs Section (NAS) at post is exploring 
options to provide PGR with case tracking software. 
 
 
PREVENTION 
---------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) QUESTION A. Does the government acknowledge that 
trafficking is a problem in the country?  If not, why not? 
 
POST RESPONSE: The GOM acknowledges that trafficking is both 
a transnational and domestic problem.  GOM officials, 
including senior leaders in both the Fox and Calderon 
administrations, lawmakers of all political parties, state 
officials and the national human rights ombudsman, continued 
to speak out against trafficking throughout the year. 
 
In May 2006, the GOM and international organizations jointly 
published a book called "Trafficking in Persons: Basic 
Aspects." The book provides critical information about 
trafficking, defines the distinction between smuggling and 
trafficking, outlines forms of exploitation, discusses the 
importance of the Palermo Protocol and advocates for a 
federal anti-trafficking law. The book was a collaboration 
between the National Institute of Women (INMUJERES), National 
Institute of Migration (INM), International Organization for 
Migration (IOM), Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM), 
and the Organization of American States (OAS). 
 
During the last year, the GOM sponsored numerous seminars and 
conferences that included panels on trafficking and the 
promotion of a federal anti-trafficking law: 
 
-- The National Commission for Human Rights (CNDH) and the 
International Organization for Migration (IOM) sponsored a 
two-day TIP conference on 14 and 15 June 2006, "Trafficking 
in Persons: Protection, Prosecution and Prevention," that 
was attended by more than 200 individuals from NGOs, 
academia, federal and local law enforcement, from Guatemala 
as well as Mexico. The speakers included the Governor and 
Attorney General of Chiapas, the Federal Assistant Attorney 
General for Organized Crime, and the president of CNDH. 
 
-- The National Institute for Penal Sciences (INACIPE) held a 
forum on the pending federal law in June 2006 that featured 
speakers from the congress and other federal agencies. 
INACIPE also conducted a four-part course on the subject in 
June and July. 
 
-- The Secretariat for Foreign Relations (SRE) sponsored a 
conference on August 30 between all the government 
secretariats involved in trafficking and the NGOs working in 
 
SIPDIS 
the area, the first broad governmental initiative to engage 
civil society on the subject. 
 
-- The state of Jalisco held a conference on trafficking for 
local government officials and civil society on November 30, 
with the technical assistance of USAID and the NGO Proteja. 
 
-- The state of Chihuahua held a conference called 
"Trafficking in Personas: Current Situation, Perspectives 
and Challenges" on January 16-17, 2007, with the technical 
assistance of USG agencies. The conference followed the 
passage of its anti-trafficking legislation, and featured the 
state attorney general as a speaker as well as a variety of 
civil society members. 
 
MEXICO 00001196  006 OF 009 
 
 
 
In the summer of 2006, the Mexican Senate launched 30 second 
commercials to raise awareness about TIP and to highlight its 
recent legislative accomplishments. In October, the PFP 
launched a media campaign on TIP through spots shown in movie 
theaters, on television and radio and through print 
materials, like posters on public buses; the Secretary of 
Public Security publicly opened the campaign. 
 
The PFP Director General for Smuggling and Contraband (with 
responsibility for trafficking), Jose Nemecio Lugo Felix, 
lead the GOM Interinstitutional Working Group on Trafficking 
and made a concerted effort to speak publicly on the subject 
in the last year, such as at the following events: 
 
-- "International Convention on the Human Rights of Migrant 
Women: Actions for their Protection," sponsored by SRE and 
UN agencies (Mexico, 24-25 April); 
-- "Trafficking in Persons: Protection, Prosecution and 
Prevention," sponsored by IOM and CNDH (Tapachula, Chiapas, 
14-15 June); 
-- Mexico's meetings at the UN on its report to the 
Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination 
Against Women, (New York, 17 August); 
-- The conference between NGOs and the GOM agencies on 
trafficking, organized by the SRE (Mexico City, 30 August); 
-- Third Session of Conference of the Parties to the UN 
Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its 
Protocols (Vienna, 9-18 October). 
-- Conference on Trafficking in Persons, sponsored by the 
UNAM Law School (Mexico City, 26 October). 
 
Nemecio Lugo also gave interviews on trafficking to Radio 
Formula (26 July), Radio Enfoque (12 September), and the 
television program "Proyecto 40" (8 November). 
 
On April 28, CNDH issued its first recommendation on 
trafficking, suggesting measures that the INM and Secretariat 
of Labor (STPS) should take to address the situation that led 
to the trafficking for labor exploitation of two Chinese 
nationals in Guanajuato between 2001 and 2003. 
 
On December 15, 2005, the Mexican Senate unanimously passed 
(95 to 0) a comprehensive TIP law. The legislation is 
currently being considered by Mexico's Chamber of Deputies. 
 
¶10. (SBU) QUESTION B. Which government agencies are involved 
in anti-trafficking efforts and which agency, if any, has the 
lead? 
 
POST RESPONSE: The GOM established the Interinstitutional 
Working Group on Trafficking in 2004, which includes 
representatives from the Federal Preventive Police (PFP), 
Attorney General's Office (PGR), National Institute of 
Migration (INM), Secretariat for Foreign Relations (SRE), 
Integral Development of the Family (DIF) Secretariat of 
Public Security (SSP), The Secretariat of Labor (STPS), 
Center for Research on National Security (CISEN), National 
Institute for Women (INMUJERES), Secretariat of Health (SSA), 
and the Secretariat of Tourism (SECTUR). 
 
The PFP is the lead agency in the Interinstitutional Working 
Group, possessing the law enforcement capabilities necessary 
to run investigations and arrest traffickers. The PFP 
Director General for Smuggling and Contraband (with 
responsibility for trafficking), Jose Nemecio Lugo Felix, led 
the group until January 2007. PFP worked closely with the ICE 
TIP Coordinator to establish five investigative units 
dedicated exclusively to trafficking cases.  Many 
investigations of trafficking cases have taken place and are 
ongoing. PFP investigators, however, proved adept in 
obtaining intelligence on trafficking cases but less 
competent in investigating cases that would produce evidence 
admissible in a court of law. The federal and state attorneys 
general offices are still responsible for prosecuting cases. 
 
The inauguration of President Calderon on 1 December 2006, 
succeeding Vicente Fox, occasioned the kinds of personnel 
changes normal to any change of government.  In addition, 
President Calderon mandated a significant law enforcement 
reorganization, and Mexico's security forces are being 
combined under the command of SSP. Nemecio Lugo, who led the 
PFP trafficking efforts, was reassigned to the PGR where he 
now holds the responsibility of prosecuting trafficking 
cases. Post perceives this to be a positive development 
because the expertise and initiative that Lugo exercised at 
PFP can be brought to PGR, which previously was slow to act 
on trafficking cases. The new PFP Director General in charge 
of trafficking, Marcos Garcia, is reconstituting his 
agency's TIP investigative units, and PFP remains the lead 
agency in combating trafficking. 
 
MEXICO 00001196  007 OF 009 
 
 
 
¶11. (SBU) QUESTION C. Are there, or have there been, 
government-run anti-trafficking information or education 
campaigns?  If so, briefly describe the campaign(s), 
including their objectives and effectiveness.  Do these 
campaigns target potential trafficking victims and/or the 
demand for trafficking (e.g. "clients" of prostitutes or 
beneficiaries of forced labor)? 
 
POST RESPONSE: As documented in last yearQ,s TIP report, the 
primary focus of the GOM's anti-trafficking information and 
education campaigns have focused on a National Program to 
Eradicate the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Minors.  The 
program is administered by the DIF and is supported by 
numerous executive and legislative branch entities (e.g., the 
STPS, the SECTUR, and the PGR), as well as civil society 
groups (the ILO in particular). DIF reported this year that 
the campaign expanded to 18 states of Mexico (Baja 
California, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, 
Estado de Mexico, Guerrero, Jalisco, Morelos, Nuevo Leon, 
Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Sonora, Tabasco, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, 
and Yucatan). 
 
In the summer of 2006, the Mexican Senate launched 30 second 
commercials to raise TIP awareness. The commercials focused 
specifically on commercial sexual exploitation of minors and 
publicized the legislation criminalizing trafficking that was 
approved by the Senate in late 2005. 
 
In October, the PFP launched an anti-TIP media campaign on 
TIP through spots shown in movie theaters, on television and 
radio and through print materials, like posters on public 
buses. The campaign was aimed to raise awareness among the 
general public, providing a hotline and a website to register 
complaints. However, the hotline generally has been regarded 
as a failure since it reportedly lacked sufficiently trained 
personnel to address issues of trafficking and did not have a 
referral system for TIP cases. 
 
¶12. (SBU) QUESTION D. Does the government support other 
programs to prevent trafficking? (e.g., to promote women's 
participation in economic decision-making or efforts to keep 
children in school.)  Please explain. 
 
POST RESPONSE: Yes. INMUJERES runs programs designed to 
prevent discrimination against women and help them understand 
their rights. In February 2007, President Calderon signed the 
General Law for Women's Access to a Life Free from Violence, 
which provides considerable protection to women from domestic 
violence, including the eviction of abusive husbands and 
penalizing the manipulation of family resources to deny the 
freedom or independence of a woman. On both borders the DIF 
runs an extensive network of crisis-response shelters that 
protect unaccompanied minors detained while trying to enter 
the U.S./depart Mexico; however, they do not provide mid- to 
long-term services. The DIF also has a program to Prevent and 
Combat Child Labor and Protect the Rights of Minors. 
 
¶13. (SBU) QUESTION E. What is the relationship between 
government officials, NGOs, other relevant organizations and 
other elements of civil society on the trafficking issue? 
 
POST RESPONSE: The relationship between government officials, 
NGOs, other relevant organizations and elements of civil 
society on the trafficking issue varies - generally depending 
on the particular government agency and whether the 
relationship is at the federal or state level. The 
relationship between the GOM and civil society in any context 
has traditionally been tense, but in the area of trafficking 
there has been significant, if uneven, cooperation in the 
last year. 
 
By building a good relationship with INM over the last couple 
years, IOM has easy access to the two large INM detention 
centers in Mexico City and Tapachula. However, access varies 
among NGOs: Sin Fronteras has complained of increasing 
obstruction by INM for NGOs to access detainees, while Casa 
Migrante has generally enjoyed easy access to the Tapachula 
detention center. 
 
In cases of identifying potential trafficking victims in 
detention centers, INM defers to IOMQ,s expertise to handle 
the cases. Since March 2006, INM has helped identify and 
solicited IOM's assistance in four trafficking cases. The 
Mexican Commission of Assistance to Refugees (COMAR) and the 
Institute of Human Development (IDH - the equivalent of 
state-level DIF in Chiapas) referred to IOM two more 
trafficking cases in this period. Yet there is still progress 
to be made. In June 2006, IOM held a meeting with INM on 
establishing standard procedures for the identification and 
assistance of trafficking victims in detention centers 
 
MEXICO 00001196  008 OF 009 
 
 
nationwide, but this issue has since gained little traction. 
IOM made significant progress in developing an anti-TIP 
committee in Tapachula, consisting of representatives from 
Grupo Beta (an INM unit that provides assistance to migrants 
in need), IDH, COMAR, Central American consulates, UNHCR and 
a string of NGOs. The committee meets monthly, exchanges 
information, and cooperates in the identification and 
assistance of victims. However, IOM stated that it met some 
resistance in establishing a Coordinating Committee with key 
government entities at the federal level, though IOM met on 
March 1 with high level SRE and INM officials who expressed 
their support for its victim services programs. 
 
NGOs and international organizations often report positive 
cooperation with government agencies on the state level.  IOM 
receives excellent cooperation from INMUJERES on the state 
level. BSCC, ECPAT and Fundacion Infantia have reported 
constructive working relationships with DIF in a variety of 
states (though with less success with the DIF in Tijuana). 
Civil society actors also participate in the Committee for 
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children organized by DIF. 
 
The NGO Fundacion Infantia and the International Labor 
Organization (ILO) has worked with the Secretariat of Labor 
(STPS), PGR, DIF and INM on public awareness campaigns to 
prevent the commercial sexual exploitation of children, with 
particularly good cooperation with state-level DIF offices. 
 
IOM, ILO, UNICEF, the Bilateral Security Corridor Coalition 
(BSCC), Coalition Against the Trafficking of Women and 
Children (CAT-W), and Fundacion Infantia have conducted 
training for federal and state governmental agencies to build 
capacity in victim services and to develop greater awareness 
of trafficking and the harms of sexual tourism. 
 
¶14. (SBU) QUESTION F. Does the government monitor immigration 
and emigration patterns for evidence of trafficking?  Do law 
enforcement agencies screen for potential trafficking victims 
along borders? 
 
POST RESPONSE: Mexican authorities are aware of the influx of 
trafficked persons and other illegal migrants entering 
through the southern border with the intention of transiting 
Mexico en route to the U.S., but scarce resources prevent 
them from training personnel to effectively screen for 
potential trafficking victims. Mexican migration authorities 
deported or detained for deportation approximately 180,000 
aliens in 2006 Q) the vast majority of whom were from Central 
America; approximately 30 thousand were women and two 
thousand were minors. INM, however, believes that up to 
500,000 aliens may cross the border every year. Since March 
2006, the GOM referred six migrants who were trafficking 
victims to IOM; and consulates and NGOs referred three other 
victims who were migrants. 
 
Grupo Beta, the INM unit that operates on the borders and 
provides humanitarian aide to migrants in need, is alert to 
trafficking victims and referred three trafficking victims to 
IOM since March 2006. Grupo Beta is also an active 
participant in the anti-trafficking committee in Tapachula, 
Chiapas, established by IOM. During 2006, Grupo Beta reported 
that its agents rescued 7,745 migrants; gave medical support 
to 694; found 148 in the desert and rain forest; provided 
social assistance to 103,732 and legal advice to 222; and 
authorized protection to 92 migrants who were victims of 
crime, some of whom were trafficking victims. 
 
In September 2006, INM authorized the issuance of 
humanitarian visas, which are valid for one year, renewable, 
and granted to victims who agree to cooperate in the 
prosecution of cases. INM reported that it has identified and 
granted visas to 11 trafficking victims, four of whom 
received visas since March 2006. Four of the victims were 
from Argentina, four others from Honduras, two from China, 
and one from El Salvador. One victim identified an INM 
official in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, who provided 
protection to traffickers; INM has since removed that 
official and is conducting an investigation. 
 
In operations to secure its borders, INM nonetheless misses 
significant opportunities to identify victims. In 2006, 
Mexican authorities designed a national program to raid bars, 
conducting 872 operations and detaining 799 foreigners 
working illegally, but no trafficking victims were 
identified. On the northern border, Mexican authorities 
rarely intervene when migrants cross into the U.S., providing 
opportunity for trafficking. 
 
In September 2006, INM cooperated with the NGO Sin Fronteras 
and the GOM agencies PGR, PFP and CISEN to carry out an 
operation on the manufacturing plant KBL, where they found 61 
 
MEXICO 00001196  009 OF 009 
 
 
Chinese workers whose migratory documents were in the control 
of their employer and who were forced to work 14 hours per 
day. The workers returned to China. (See paragraph 22 for 
more information on the case.) 
 
Within the last year, the GOM completed a USD $10 million 
migrant processing facility in Tapachula, Chiapas, where many 
Central American migrants pass. The facility provides 
separate sections for women and children. 
 
The GOM has signed accords with Guatemala, Belize, and El 
Salvador that include provisions to enhance border security 
and provide for the safe and orderly repatriation of 
migrants, with special procedures for unaccompanied women and 
children. 
 
INM is establishing SIOM, a law enforcement database, at 175 
ports of entry in Mexico, which will potentially be a useful 
instrument in fighting trafficking. In addition, President 
Calderon just announced plans for a Safe Southern Border 
Program, designed to strengthen Mexico's law enforcement 
efforts in the south, improve treatment of illegal migrants, 
and create a guest worker program for Central Americans. 
 
¶15. (SBU) QUESTION G. Is there a mechanism for coordination 
and communication between various agencies, internal, 
international, and multilateral on trafficking-related 
matters, such as a multi-agency working group or a task 
force?  Does the government have a trafficking in persons 
working group or single point of contact?  Does the 
government have a public corruption task force? 
 
POST RESPONSE: The government uses its Interinstitutional 
Working Group on Trafficking to coordinate internal, 
international, and multilateral efforts to combat 
trafficking.  The PFP is the lead agency, providing the 
Technical Secretary for the Working Group. (See paragraph 10 
for more information.) 
 
While PGR and PFP have identified TIP coordinators in their 
agencies, the INM has not designated a TIP coordinator, 
though the point of contact remains the head of the nationQ,s 
migrant detention centers. ICE is working with INM to 
identify a coordinator and establish investigative units. 
 
The Secretariat for Public Administration (SFP) and the PGR 
share the responsibility to investigate public corruption. 
Many government agencies also have internal anti-corruption 
programs. 
 
¶16. (SBU) QUESTION H. Does the government have a national 
plan of action to address trafficking in persons?  If so, 
which agencies were involved in developing it?  Were NGOs 
consulted in the process?  What steps has the government 
taken to disseminate the action plan? 
 
POST RESPONSE: The GOM does not have a national plan of 
action to address trafficking at this time, though the 
Interinstitutional Working Group on Trafficking has expressed 
an interest in drafting a national plan. The PFP, however, 
drafted a plan of action for its own operations, establishing 
five investigative units and assigning them to five distinct 
regions in the country. DIF also drafted and executed a 
national plan for its program to eliminate commercial sexual 
exploitation of children, identifying the nationQ,s most 
critical cities. Civil society participated in DIFQ,s 
development of a national plan and remains involved in the 
program's committee. (See paragraph 13.) 
 
(End of Part I.) 
 
Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity 
 
GARZA