Human Rights in Mexico—US Border: A Personal Experience

In the past 30 years the Mexican border scenario has included new actors, with important roles in shaping human rights: military, police, NGO\u27s and organized crime, a mixture certainly explosive, accompanied by international events that have significantly impacted this border (9/11, global economic crisis, increased deportations). I have dedicated my efforts to the defense and promotion of human rights of vulnerable groups (LGBT, sex workers, street vendors, indigenous people, migrants, victims of torture, among other groups) in this complex border scenario. About the Lecturer: Victor Alfaro is a native of Tijuana, Mexico. Alfaro founded the Binational Center for Human Rights in 1987 and is the director to this day. He received his masters in social anthropology at the Iberoamericana University (UIA) in Mexico City, and did his doctoral studies in sociology at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). In 1981- 1983, Alfaro was professor at the State University of Baja California, and since 1999, adjunct professor at the Center for Latin American Studies, at San Diego State University (SDSU). He is the author of numerous articles and essays on migration, indigenous migration, USA-Mexico border. He also authored two books on indigenous migration to the border. He was a columnist for Pacific News Service (PNS) (1988 – 1992), for La Opinion newspaper (Los Angeles, CA) (1998-2001), and other newspapers. From 1992-Present, he serves as an expert witness in U.S. courts for asylum cases (LGBT) and for cases of mules, blind mules, organize crime and Mexican culture. Among other awards, in 2015, Alfaro received the Outstanding Faculty Award (San Diego State University)