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Friday, April 30, 2021

Exodus in Aguililla, Michoacán: Many Families Are Fleeing to the US

"Parro" for Borderland Beat

Residents are fleeing cartel violence and crime, including death threats, extortion and being forced to serve as human shields.

In Aguililla, Michoacan, the Catholic Church is issuing letters of recommendation to residents to support their future claims of US asylum as they flee the violence that has embattled their town.

Parish priest Gilberto Vergara that the Aguililla church has issued up to 85 letters this week where he has detailed proof that the residents' lives are in danger due to the violence. The bloody turf war between Carteles Unidos (CU) and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in Aguililla has intensified in recent months.

With these letters, residents can present them directly to US immigration authorities, Vergara said.

“It’s a kind of guarantee that they’re from here [Aguililla] and that their lives and those of their families are in danger.”

Sources say that close to 200 families have fled Aguililla in the past three weeks, citing violence, extortion, and death threats as their reasons for leaving. Some people have fled to go with other family members, some have stayed in church-run shelters, and others have headed north to the US.

Priest and activist Gregorio Lopez Geronimo said that Aguililla has become a "ghost town". When asked about the government's role in what is happening in Aguililla, Lopez-Geronimo said that they are in cahoots with them. He described them as "beasts" and "soulless" beings.

Luis, a rancher who asked the Catholic Church for a letter of recommendation, said that he was forced by the CJNG to join a human shield outside the army's base near Aguililla. He said that the CJNG forced them to do this to stop the army's operations in the area, and that they threatened to kill his wife and other relatives if he did not obey. Luis said that cartel members kidnapped and reportedly killed his daughter and nephew last year.

He said that he has lived his entire live in El Aguaje, a rural community in Aguililla where the CJNG paraded an armored "narco-tank" in broad daylight last month. This was also the location where a drone bomb attack was carried out against the Michoacan State Police.

Luis said that he took advantage of the visit of the Vatican's ambassador to Mexico to Aguililla last week to flee with his family. He fled with about 200 pesos and a few essentials. Archbishop Franco Coppola, papal nucio to Mexico, was able to travel to Aguililla by road from a neighboring municipality. Some of the roads heading to Aguililla had been blocked by armed men for weeks.

Vergara said that criminals continue to set up blockades on the main highway during the night.

“We’ve left our home, our land and an entire life of work to look for a calmer life because it seems that our luck has run out,” he said. “… We can no longer put up with this violence that screws us over every day. … I managed to take a few things to survive and [received] God’s blessing that the Vatican’s envoy gave us.”

“… The CJNG took everything from us, even courage.”

Sources: El Universal; Milenio; MDN

12 comments:

  1. https://www.facebook.com/100104702048427/posts/153485793376984/

    @MX
    Mencho sponsoring free "bailes/dances" for the citizens of Guadalajara, apparently los 2 carnales will be there(they're pretty popular right now in the regional mexicano scene) entrance is FREE.

    While C.U does the same in Los Reyes but they're tickets go for 150$MXD each. 😂😂

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the info! I saw on social media that they were also giving out toys for Children's Day today. Do you know more? I will be out of town this weekend but I'll try to find more info.

      Delete
    2. https://www.facebook.com/100104702048427/posts/153556606703236/

      This one @MX
      It's a dia de los niños event. Sponsored by Sr Mencho, tonight.

      Delete
  2. https://www.facebook.com/100104702048427/posts/153549696703927/

    These are the flyers circulating in los Reyes, apparently it's the C.U sponsored dance party.

    Pobres diablos, they extort and with that same $$ they do events like these then they still charge entrance???
    No tienen verguenza. Putas lacras.

    Saludos, happy weekend everyone.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Things look like their owner, silvano aurioles (PRD) sent by EPN (PRI/PANAL/PRIAN, PES, MC) wants to preserve their party dominance, many peepol will never agree or surrender.
      The Drone is CU to force the army there to protect them.

      Delete
  3. Yeah no surprise there the families of all the Carteles Unidos/ templario members revueltas running for their life like the cowards they are after doing so much damage to the town with their extortions, killings and their coward way of fighting.

    Right now they are hiding in the town like the coward they are while the Military base keeps them safe. Things are changing fast the viagras/chocomiles de los reyes/ aguillila doing their little shows begging the Sedena, GN, State Police to protect them. CJNG is going to come in heavy this time no small covoys that come and go they are going to stay in the towns and go house by house something they haven't done.

    Then you have the war that broke out between El Toro and Los Pulidos with El Tena over the death of el chuy playas.

    CJNG is able to come and go as they please in Aguillila because the Revueltas are just hiding like the cowards they have always been.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @3:41PM

      You can tell these people are families that supported Los Revueltas. You can tell because they always only mention CJNG. They never mention CU/Viagras when it was them that were extorting the town and destroying the roads.

      Delete
    2. Family members or subordinates.

      Delete
    3. 5:49 a güebo!

      Delete
  4. Of curse their are at risk! They are C.U. and are running for their lives, no corran culos!!! Four or five months ago they were calling out cjng! Now they are running?!?! 🤦
    No que el mencho se las pelaba?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I don't even know how people could stay in that city when Fm/viagras still had control over the area. And i'm only talking about the people that ain't involved with organized crime at all. It was a hellhole then and it's a hellhole now. i would get out of there even if I had nothing, better to escape with your life at least

    ReplyDelete
  6. They won't be let into the US. They will be stuck @ the border with 1000s of other refugees.

    ReplyDelete

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