Signing petitions

[HarryB]

previously I checked with Attorney Juan Marquez about this. When you enter Mexico the Mexican constitution guarantees you freedom of speech. The only thing you cant engage in is political campaigning. Any petition relating to your quality of life is covered under your freedoms.

I have been told that the last people deported for political actions were some young americans involved with Marcos in Chiapas.

I assume that Spencer would confirm this

[AlanMexicali]

9 Fundamentalist Christians from Houston Texas were detained and deported for being involved in a "Worker´s Unión" demonstration in the border zone of Mexico about 2 years ago. Also local news in Texas has had stories of more Christian Evangelists being detained and deported from the border zone in Mexico for similar activites.

If you Google.MX. in Spanish you can read more incidences of foreigners being detained and deported for various activities not related to political campaigning in Mexico. Not as uncommon as you might think.

The US news does not differentiate between expulsión and deportation as they seem to not understand the difference here in Mexico or it makes for a better story stating "deported". Some might have been expelled and not deported.

[HarryB]

I think if you check, none of these had residency status

[HarryB]

If you come across the border and misbehave you can be expelled as an undesirable . I'm assuming that these people were on tourist visas. Once you have residency status your tenancy is more durable. Again, for issues pertaining to your quality of life you would be protected by the constitution.

[bmh]

The last person deported in Chiapas was Italian. No reasons given he was living or married with a Mexican woman and had been a resident for many years. He was a professor at the University in Tuxtla. I guess

his wrtings or smoking did not sit well with the establishment. ..

If the government is after you they will figure out a reason to kick you out if not you are safe

[AlanMexicali]

I tend to agree with you that most likely expelled from Mexico is much more common than deported for foreigners and the US news not clarifying these reports. Yes, I presume they all were on tourist permits.

[CHILLIN]

I'm glad this is finally being cleared up - I am embarassed to know about such esoterica! The foreign World Trade protesters in Mexico City were expelled under "voluntary departure orders", which their lawyers would have recommended they sign, it avoids the lengthy and costly (for both disputants) deportation proceedings. The departure orders allow a return, under certain conditions, deportation is a permanent ban (barring a change in government!). The Italian professor was spouting full blown Marxist revolution to Chiapas natives - he wanted a deportation hearing to promote his cause and to garner "attaboys" from European Marxists. When they took him into custody, they found that his work permit had expired about one month previously, so he was rather quickly, and quietly, ejected on those grounds.

This is not to downplay some of the valid protests of foreigners on sensitive issues such as human sexuality. I am under the impression that those in Mexico who object to these protests have many more brutal, and often illegal tactics than requiring legal government intervention. This the way it always has been for the causes worth fighting for.

[rogerm]

"Protected by the constitution" gives me a great deal of comfort?

[Intercasa]

Attorney Juan Marquez? Just because someone works in a hospital doesn't necessarily make them a doctor, there are cooks, janitors, etc.

Yes people can sign petitions, there is actually case law where foreigners have the right to be involved in community projects and not risk deportation

[cbviajero]

n/a

[Intercasa]

Tesis: P./J. 138/2005 Semanario Judicial de la Federación y su Gaceta Novena Época 176678 6 de 8 Pleno Tomo XXII, Noviembre de 2005 Pag. 113 Jurisprudencia(Constitucional)

PARTICIPACIÓN CIUDADANA. EL ARTÍCULO 75 DE LA LEY RELATIVA DEL DISTRITO FEDERAL, QUE ESTABLECE QUE LA ASAMBLEA CIUDADANA SE INTEGRARÁ CON LOS HABITANTES DE LA UNIDAD TERRITORIAL, INCLUYENDO MENORES DE EDAD Y EXTRANJEROS, NO VIOLA EL DERECHO DE ASOCIACIÓN.

El derecho de asociación, contenido en el artículo 9o. de la Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, implica la potestad de los individuos para unirse con el fin de constituir entidades o personas morales tendentes a la consecución de objetivos plenamente identificados, cuya realización sea constante y permanente, con la limitante de que sólo los ciudadanos de la República (mexicanos mayores de dieciocho años, en términos del artículo 34 constitucional) podrán hacerlo para tomar parte en asuntos políticos del país. Ahora bien, si se atiende a que la finalidad de la participación ciudadana consiste en solucionar los problemas de interés general de la ciudadanía perteneciente a la misma unidad territorial, así como intercambiar opiniones sobre los asuntos públicos de la ciudad en general, sin que este tipo de agrupaciones o asociaciones tenga como objetivo tomar parte en asuntos políticos, es indudable que no les son aplicables las referidas restricciones constitucionales; de ahí que el artículo 75 de la Ley de Participación Ciudadana del Distrito Federal, al prever que la asamblea ciudadana se integrará con los habitantes de la unidad territorial, incluyendo menores de edad y extranjeros, no viola el referido derecho constitucional, máxime que como se desprende de la exposición de motivos de la reforma al artículo 122 constitucional, publicada en el Diario Oficial de la Federación el 25 de octubre de 1993, al eliminar el requisito de ser ciudadano de la República para participar en las organizaciones ciudadanas, se pretende incluir también a los habitantes y residentes de la ciudad, independientemente de su nacionalidad y de su carácter de ciudadanos, ampliación de derechos que obedece a la importancia de reconocer que las decisiones sobre la administración de la ciudad afectan a todos sus habitantes por igual, lo que justifica que todos tengan derecho a participar.