Bravo México!

Last week, Mexico quickly negotiated the travel to and asylum in Mexico for Afghans who had worked for The New York Times, together with their families, at a time when U.S. authorities were unable or unwilling to do so.

To be sure, the U.S. and NATO forces did evacuate over 120,000 foreign nationals and Afghans during the past two weeks, and their militaries and diplomats deserve high praise and gratitude for a job well done under enormously difficult circumstances. 

But NATO governments have insisted on complicating the visa issuance process for Afghans who collaborated with their forces for almost 20 years – and this has meant many delays in issuing essential visas for these people to avoid a bloodbath if the Taliban revert to their evil ways. 

NATO governments have had twenty years to plan for the orderly withdrawal of their forces and their Afghan helpers. Yet they have clung to legalistic protocols and waited until the last-minute to issue visas and implement extraction strategies.

This will be a stain on their reputations for years to come and will undoubtedly result in difficulties in convincing citizens of other countries to collaborate with these governments under any given circumstance.

Enter Mexico

As is well known, Mexican foreign policy is centered around the “Estrada Doctrine”, which proscribes any interference by Mexico in the internal affairs of another state. This has been Mexican policy for decades and is the result of invasions that Mexico has suffered at various times in its history.

However, this doctrine has not prevented Mexico from playing an important role in welcoming generations of refugees throughout its history.

After the Spanish Civil War, Mexico served as refuge to tens of thousands of Spanish republicans fleeing from Franco’s Spain. They were welcomed with open arms and, in return, contributed significantly to Mexico’s cultural and economic life. 

Mexico has also given refuge to hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans fleeing dictatorships of the right and left in their home countries, as well as Europeans fleeing their homelands during and after World War II.

Last week, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard was approached by a journalist friend of his who sought Ebrard´s help in resettling quickly Afghan journalists who faced death at the hands of the Taliban, as well as their families, and were not being helped by NATO governments.

Mr. Ebrard explained the situation to President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and the latter immediately instructed Mexican officials to expedite travel documents for these Afghans. As a result, six female members of the world class Afghan robotics team arrived in Mexico.

Subsequently, a group of 124 Afghan journalists who had worked with The New York Times in Afghanistan and their families also escaped from Afghanistan with the help of the Qatari and Mexican governments and are now safe in Mexico. More may follow in the days to come.

This may seem to be a small number of refugees given the millions of Afghans who have been displaced since the beginning of the year.

However, the quick action by the Mexican government to take in people towards whom it bore no responsibility contrasts with the bureaucratic hurdles and poor planning by NATO governments that have mitigated against the timely issuance of visas for their Afghan allies. I would assume that most if not all these people had been properly vetted given their long service with NATO country military and civilian missions and that these visas could have been expedited at the beginning of this year.

As it stands, many Afghan journalists, translators, women leaders, and interpreters, and others who worked for the NATO forces or led progressive movements in concert with NATO civilian missions during the past twenty years may well face a terrible fate at the hands of the Taliban or ISIS K terrorists who reared their heads last week’ with their terrorist attack on Kabul’s airport.

Mexico’s overall contribution may indeed seem a drop in the ocean. 

But its quick action to suspend bureaucratic hurdles in a life-or-death situation is an example for others to emulate.

Bravo Mexico!

[email protected]

Edition: Estefanía Cardeña