New Mexico Mercury

Mexico’s Teacher Uprising

Conflict and struggle are key words at the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year in Mexico. After a summer break, the controversy over education reform laws promoted by the Pena Nieto administration and backed by the country’s major political parties is back at center stage.

In recent days, tens of thousands of teachers and their allies have taken to the nation’s streets, plazas and highways to register their firm opposition to the education reform package, including the professional service law approved last week by the Mexican Congress that establishes a new educator evaluation system requiring teachers to pass No Child Left Behind-like standardized tests...

Will Syria Crisis Stifle Immigration Reform?

As the political crisis and debate intensify over Syria, immigrant advocates fear the issue of possible U.S. military action will delay comprehensive immigration reform in Washington.

New Mexico-Chihuahua Border Brouhaha

In the aftermath of a media blitz staged by the state governments of New Mexico and Chihuahua to jointly promote the development of the emerging Jeronimo-Santa Teresa borderplex, a sharp polemic over the project has rekindled in Ciudad Juarez.

Defending the History and Culture of Ciudad Juarez

In the crisis-ridden rubble of downtown Ciudad Juarez, a group of citizens is arising to restore the cultural vitality and legacy of the Mexican border city.

Sunland Park’s Missing Minutes

The New Mexico Attorney General’s Office (AG) has reaffirmed its dismissal of a citizen complaint against a former administration of the border city of Sunland Park, New Mexico. Filed by resident Ken Giove, the complaint raised more questions about the extent of previous, alleged electoral hanky panky as well as the mystery of important government documents missing from Sunland Park City Hall.

Giove’s complaint centered around the January 2011 passage of a City Council ordinance that lowered the salaries of the mayor and city councilors to $1.00 per month, an action which was subsequently reversed with the City Council’s approval of a February 2012 ordinance restoring the earlier salary levels retroactive to August 2011...

Outrage follows migrant deaths in Arizona

The deaths of three young men in the Arizona desert last month have prompted Mexican non-governmental organizations to renew demands for actions and changes from the Mexican and U.S. governments. In a statement signed by scores of human rights, migrant, labor, civic, and faith-based organizations, the groups demanded meaningful policy shifts at a time when current U.S. legislative proposals for tighter security amount to a “virtual state of war on the border"...

The Coconut Massacre

Mexico’s long bout of violence has introduced many new words into the popular vernacular. Among the linguistic additions is the word “youthcide,’ meaning the systematic, mass killing of young people. A recent slaughter in the southern state of Guerrero could be a textbook example of the ongoing loss of young lives from violence.

On Friday, July 5, an estimated 200-250 people buried seven young boys and men in Coyuca de Benitez, a rural municipality located about a half hour’s drive from Acapulco in the Costa Grande region. The victims were all found shot to death in a local coconut orchard the previous day...

Mexico’s rich flourish

A Great Recession? Not for Mexico’s rich. In fact, the number of people in the Mexican Republic defined as wealthy by the corporate research outfit WealthInsight grew by almost a third between  late 2007 and late 2012, a time when high unemployment and hard times had most people scrambling to make ends meet.

According to WealthInsight, the total number of Mexican residents who held wealth valued at than one million dollars (minus their principal home) reached 145,000 at the end of last year. Of this group, 2,450 people were classified as multi-millionaires...

Border Leaders Slam Militarization

Immigration reform amendment will increase border fencing, drones and border patrol while opening the door for defense contractors.

A Gang of 12 and Alleged Femicide in Ciudad Juarez

Frontera Norte Sur recaps the first round of court appearances in a case against 12 Ciudad Juarez residents accused in the mass disappearance and murder of girls and young women.