By Stella Nichols –

Being a Guatemalan-American in such a sundry city like Chicago allows me to maintain and preserve the proficiency of my Spanish. Or according to everyone else, the proficiency of my Mexican.

“Stella, you speak Spanish? I didn’t know you’re Mexican!”

Neither did I.

Despite the fact that there are a total of 21 Spanish-speaking countries in the world, there seems to be this omnipotent consensus that if you speak Spanish, you’re Mexican.

Considering the geographical circumstances of Mexico’s placement, I am sympathetic to the assumption. According to the Department of Homeland Security, 6,980,000 of the 11,780,000 unauthorized immigrant population are Mexicans, whereas only 500,000 are Guatemalan.

The Mexican government has consistently reminded the United States of the economic contributions provided by Mexican immigrants. The Mexican government has requested amnesty for the millions of undocumented Mexicans and guest-worker programs that would permit thousands of Mexicans to gain employment in the U.S.

But has the Mexican government granted those same opportunities to their illegal residents?

Mexico’s southern border, commonly referred to as la frontera olvidada, is where many Central Americans strive to reach the United States in search of a better life.

According to the Center for Immigration Studies, most abuses suffered by immigrants entering Mexico take place along its 600-mile border with Guatemala. The CIS also reports that border officials solicit bribes on a regular basis. From a few dollars to let a single person pass the border to thousands of dollars to allow the passage of drugs, weapons, or prostitutes, the expenditures vary greatly.

While former Mexican President Vicente Fox acknowledged the two-facedness of the system and has strived for some reform, we as a people have become numb to the blanket terms and have seen no change. It needs to be firmly stated that this is not an argument between nations. This is a call to bear witness to the hypocrisy of government.

Manuel Angel Castillo of El Colegio de Mexico wrote in a Migration Policy Institute study that lately the foreign secretaries of Mexico and Central and South American countries have portrayed a “face of Latin unity” and contest restrictive immigration legislation currently before the United States Congress.

In order to cultivate a culture of social equality, policies must address issues of both immigration and emigration.

Just like the United States, Mexico has had a huge problem with immigrants coming from south of its border. And just like the United States, Mexico has amplified border militarization due to an increase in crime.

Immigrant resilience simply prompts Central Americans to find an alternative, often times more dangerous route in order to dodge the border patrol and enter Chiapas, Mexico. Both the United States and Mexican government have failed to realize that heavy border patrolling and militarization cannot stop the consistent flow of illegal immigrants. It will only make the journey more dangerous.