Mexico received this Wednesday a group of 124 people conformed by reporters who worked in Afghanistan and his relatives, hours after welcoming five young Afghans of an internationally award-winning robotics team, all evacuated after the takeover by the talibans.
The group of journalists belong to The New York Times and some The Wall Street Journal, as explained by the American media in a published note.
“These are those who are risking their lives to inform, to communicate, who are committed to freedom of expression, to freedom and independence of communication,” the chancellor said. Marcelo Ebrard during a welcoming ceremony for journalists at Mexico City Airport.
The group, made up of workers from various media outlets operating in Kabul, arrived in Mexico after a 20-hour flight from Doha on a Qatar Air Force plane, where children also traveled, according to images released by the Stationery.
The New York Times explained that they arrived at the airport Mexico City 24 Afghan families who worked for the environment, however, highlight the role of the Mexican authorities in helping that “the United States was unable to provide.”
“Mexican officials, unlike their counterparts in the United States, managed to beat the bureaucracy of their migration system to quickly provide the documents that, in turn, allowed Afghans to fly from the besieged Kabul airport on their way in Doha, Qatar, “he said.
According to the proposal, Afghan families will receive temporary humanitarian protection in Mexico while future options are explored in the United States or other countries.
the chancellor Marcelo Ebrard told NYT that Mexico had opened its doors to Afghan journalists “in order to protect them and to be consistent with foreign policy that promotes free expression, freedoms, and feminist values.”
From a message to Ebrard to evacuating families from Kabul
The media reports that Ebrard received a WhatsApp message from Azam Ahmed, who was chief of correspondents in Kabul and Mexico, on August 12 at 5 p.m.
“The government of Mexico Are you willing to receive refugees from Afghanistan? Azam Ahmed asked. “We have people there, good people who are trying to get out,” he added.
According to the Times, Ebrard quickly responded that it would not be possible, but then thought his secretariat could circumvent what would usually require “hours and hours” of processing and a cabinet meeting. “So I called the president and explained the situation to him,” he said.
“The president Andrés Manuel López Obrador he agreed that “the situation was moving very fast and the decision had to be made just as quickly,” Ebrard told the media.
An hour and a half later Ebrard he replied to Ahmed that he was ready to provide assurances that he would accept a list of Afghans.
However, the situation changed when the Taliban advanced on the city of Kabul. “The commercial airport closed and there was a period when only U.S. military flights took off. Qatar, where U.S. jets landed, only usually accepts Afghans if officials have assurances that they are heading to a third country.” , explained the medium.
He added that the media did not reveal details about the evacuation of his journalists for fear of flooding the narrow escape channels. Faced with this, the New York News he did not reveal his fix with Mexico. The government also extended its support to The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.
The media reported that United States, although it has increased its evacuation flights, it has an immigration system that has struggled to respond to the crisis.
“Many of the special visas the United States has issued to journalists require them to spend at least a year in a third country, presumably to satisfy forces warning that Muslim immigrants could be terrorists working very covertly. “, he explained in a note published this Wednesday.
“We are deeply grateful for the help and generosity of Mexico’s government,” AG Sulzberger, editor and president of The New York Times, said in an email. “Their help has been invaluable in putting our Afghan colleagues and their families safe. We urge the entire international community to follow suit and continue to work for the courageous Afghan journalists who are still at risk.”
Politics with Central American migrants
The media questioned the Chancellor Marcelo Ebrard about their response to Afghans and the policy they handle toward Central American migrants who also seek to reach Mexico.
“Ebrard said government actions were consistent with Mexico’s drive to make clear the difference between economic migrants and people seeking refuge and asylum,” the medium detailed.
read too Afghanistan and the Taliban regime … a danger to the World Cup in Qatar?
He added that the head of the Foreign Ministry did not anticipate much criticism of his country for the speed with which he accepted the Afghans.
NGO