It’s been more than six months since 43 Mexican college students disappeared, and public protests continue in that country. This month, they spilled into Virginia, with three family members touring and talking with Americans.
With music, food and conversation, Richmond welcomed three people from a larger group called Caravan 43 – relatives of missing college students who are fanning out across the U.S. this month.
“Buenos dias. Me jamo es Anayeli Guerrero.”
Speaking through a translator, Anayeli Guerrero said her brother and two cousins were missing, but she did not believe the government’s claim that they were kidnapped on orders from a local mayor, murdered by members of a drug cartel – their bodies burned, their remains thrown into a river.
“A group of Argentinian scientists came to do studies of the remains, and we know that it’s not the students. Some of the remains were from animals, so we know that the authorities are lying.”
And Clemente Rodriguez Moreno said he had hope his 19-year-old son would someday return, since others have told him their stories.
“They’ve had family members that have been disappeared, and then 8 or 10 years later they were liberated. And these families are telling us to maintain the faith.”
Hosting the group here was community organizer Carolina Vellez, who says these Mexican families have one other message for Americans.
“They are here, because they didn’t find justice in Mexico. They didn’t find a government that told them where their children are, so they are here in the United States telling directly to the people what really happened, but also asking the U.S. to stop the military help to Mexico.”
Relatives of the disappeared say violence has only gotten worse since the U.S. began funding a war on drugs south of the border – supplying Mexico with guns that are ultimately used by police and gang members against civilians. After speaking at Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Richmond and a local church, the group packed their bags and headed for Washington, D.C. They’ll catch up with other members of Caravan 43 on April 26th for a mass rally in New York.
