Mexicans in Exile Fleeing 'Systematic Slaughter'

"Mr. Fraire, Mr. Salazar and his nephew are exiles, the term preferred by them and their lawyer, Carlos Spector of El Paso. They are displaced Mexicans seeking refuge north of the Rio Grande after fleeing a government-sanctioned war in Chihuahua, where thousands have been slaughtered since 2006. Staying there, they believe, means they could be next to die. They have bonded through their common tragedies, and formed Mexicanos en Exilio — Mexicans in Exile. In the process of filing paperwork to become a nonprofit, the group is planning lecture tours to raise awareness about its members’ plight and the tragedy that led them to become foreigners in a land they never wanted to call home. Mr. Spector said the group is still learning how to best draw attention to its message: raising awareness of what it says is the systematic slaughter of the Mexican people." - Texas Tribune, New York Times, Apr. 13, 2012.

Carlos Spector, an El Paso lawyer, represents about 50 Mexicans who are seeking political asylum. So far he has won four cases.

(Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune)