In 2020, around 1.2 million foreigners lived in Mexico, of which more than 797 million are from the United States (Photo: special)
The government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador sent an initiative to the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday to reform Article 33 of the Constitution, which seeks to avoid the expulsion of foreigners who express their opinion or participate in political affairs in the country.
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According to the project, it is a modification that is in harmony with what is established in article 1 of the Magna Carta, which expressly provides that in Mexico “all persons shall enjoy human rights”, such as the free expression of ideas .
However, the third paragraph of the article would be repealed, which guarantees protection to foreigners despite meddling in internal affairs, so it would read as follows:
“Foreign persons are those who do not possess the qualities determined in Article 30 of the Constitution and will enjoy the human rights and guarantees recognized by this Constitution, therefore their right to the free expression of ideas is guaranteed”
(Screenshot: ordenjuridico.gob.mx)
It is worth mentioning that the Constitution currently states that everyone has the right to enter the Republic, leave it, travel through its territory and change residence, without the need for a security letter, passport, safe-conduct or other similar requirements.
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However, the document emphasizes that national security must be safeguarded, for which reason it reserves the right to expel foreigners when it is proven that their stay in Mexico constitutes “a risk or affectation” to the country, always after a hearing and when the administrative procedures before the competent authority have been exhausted.
“That in which the exceptions that justify its limitation must be perfectly defined, founded and motivated”
The initiative highlights that the sovereignty of Mexico has been consolidated at a regional and global level. Likewise, it is affirmed that the country has not been the object of attacks by foreigners or foreign powers that put our democratic organization at risk.
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In 2020, around 1.2 million foreigners lived in Mexico, of which more than 797 million are from the United States.
Abraham Mendienta is a supporter of Morena (Photo: special)
It all started in December 2022, when former PAN president Felipe Calderón (2006-2012) called for the expulsion of the controversial adviser to Morena, Abraham Mendieta, who is originally from Spain.
And it is that Mendieta asked to expel legislator Adela Ramos from the Morena party for voting against “Plan B” of the electoral reform, promoted by López Obrador.
“The one who should be expelled from the country for interfering in political matters that only concern Mexicans and not foreigners is you, according to the Constitution. Out! (sic)”, wrote Calderón.
However, AMLO came out in defense of the Spaniard and announced that he planned to repeal the third paragraph of article 33, stating that “these are other times” and now citizenship “is completely free.”
Until a few months ago, the singer Manu Chao could not enter Mexican territory
That same month, the Ministry of the Interior (Segob) removed from the list of personas non grata the French singer Manu Chao, who in 2009 criticized the Government of Mexico, then Calderón’s, for the repression of the protests in San Salvador Atenco in 2006 .
While in 2021, supporters of Morena asked to apply Article 33 to the Vox leaders who went to Congress to present the Madrid Charter, something that López Obrador refused.
And in 2014 there was a controversy with Chile over the arrest of the Chilean musician Lawrence Maxwell Ilabaca during a protest after the disappearance of the 43 Ayotzinapa students in September of that year.
“There should be nothing that limits freedom and all those alleged crimes that have to do with insulting authority must be eliminated,” López Obrador considered last Monday.