Mexico: Presence of "White Guards", or political paramilitary groups, at university campuses in Mexico, particularly Mexico City, 1997-1998

No reports of White Guards (Guardias Blancas) at university campuses in Mexico City could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

For the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) campuses in the capital, an official at the UNAM Defensoria de los Derechos Universitarios (University Rights Defense, the university's human rights ombudsman for teachers and students) stated during a 4 December 1998 telephone interview that there were no reports of White Guards in the university campus. The official stated that the ombudsman's office is not aware of the presence of political "enforcement" or politically-motivated violent groups on the university campus, adding that the only enforcement group or body authorized to use force if necessary is the security staff or "Cuerpo de Vigilancia" of UNAM, called "Auxilio UNAM". However, this organization does not have a coercive or repressive power (no tiene poder coercitivo), and will only intervene to protect university property or individuals.

A 17 August 1998 article published by the Mexican daily La Jornada reports that 18 groups of porros or porriles (porro-like) operate in the UNAM campuses. Although no exact definition of the term porros could be found, Responses MEX6690 and MEX25514.E refer to porros as a Mexican colloquial term for groups of government-backed or other thugs, used in the context of partisan or student politics in universities.

The article from La Jornada provides the names of several groups, adding that some have even formed formal student associations or federations. They are reported to have concentrated most of their activities in the external campuses, although many operate in the Ciudad Universitaria; their main criminal activities include extortion, physical assault, engaging in brawls, and drug trafficking, and they have recently began using explosive devices (petardos). However, the article describes as surprising the fact that most perpetrators caught receive only an administrative sanction. A representative of the university's administration is cited as attributing the use of explosives to regular students and not porros, and explaining that outsiders are involved in only a few cases. The article provides some security and facilities' statistics for the six campuses in the capital city that harbour 320 thousand students, teachers and administrative staff, adding that of the 672 persons handed to the authorities for a variety of crimes within the university campuses, 255 belonged to the university and 417 were outsiders, but only 222 were eventually submitted to the Public Ministry, and only for "health" offences (delitos contra la salud). A key in the operation of these groups is reported to be a network of 120 "pirate" or illegal taxis operated by unionized administration workers of the university. A representative of the university government is cited as saying that the only time at which some effective control of the campus can be exercised is on the weekends, when only one gate to the main campus remains open.

In early 1998 the rector of UNAM denounced the lack of respect and impunity with which porriles groups, allegedly formed by outsiders, had acted: "resorting to force and violence to push through their demands" (que han usado la fuerza y la violencia como recurso para imponer sus demandas) (La Jornada 10 Feb. 1998).

Also in February 1998, UNAM announced the disbanding of a security force known as Grupo Cobra, whose existence had been denied until then by the authorities (ibid. 10 Feb. 1998b). The group consisted mostly of former judicial policemen and granaderos (anti-riot policemen), and dated back to at least 1996. Students, teachers and representatives of the UNAM workers' union STUNAM had denounced the existence of this group, whose members allegedly wore no identification and used violence to impose order (ibid.).

In March 1997, a lawyer representing UNAM during a press conference refused to describe student groups as porros, after journalists questioned him over their presence on the university campuses (ibid. 13 Mar. 1997). Although members of a law students' federation, which includes teachers, have been accused of carrying firearms in the university, threatening people and beating students running in an institutional election, UNAM's lawyer suggested that there wasn't enough evidence to detain anyone (ibid.). The report states that of nine investigations opened against that student federation, four dating back to 1994 remained opened, two were concluded and two were handed over to the Public Ministry (ibid.).

A 29 January 1997 article from La Jornada reported the existence of a network of porros groups operating in the facilities of UNAM, the Politechnical Institute and the Bachelors' College (Colegio de Bachilleres). According to the report, one organization denounced the porros for receiving support from government authorities through the National Sports Commission (CONADE) and other educational institutions, while UNAM representatives denied during a press conference the existence of "violent groups" or porros, yet acknowledged the violent acts perpetrated within university premises by "vandal" or "porriles" groups, one of which had been detained while in possession of 25 dynamite sticks or explosive devices (La Jornada 29 Apr. 1997). The UNAM authorities reportedly called on the police to patrol the vicinity of the university facilities (ibid.).

Also in 1997, La Jornada reported a shootout between alleged porros at the National Politechnical Institute (IPN) in Mexico City that resulted in one dead student and six injured, two of them by gunfire and at least three by beating. The groups belonged to two different student organizations that apparently were fighting for control of the institute. The report stated that the police arrived after the confrontation and made no arrests, and added that the two organizations were made up of porros which had been operating in the IPN for some twenty years and creating conflicts in the institute's schools.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Defensoria de los Derechos Universitarios, Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico. 4 December 1998. Telephone interview with official.

La Jornada [Mexico City]. 17 August 1998. Maria Esther Ibarra. "18 grupos de porros operan en la UNAM." [Internet] [Accessed 9 Dec. 1998]

_____. 22 April 1998. Bertha Teresa Ramirez. "Se enfrentan a tiros presuntos porros del IPN; un muerto y nueve lesionados." [Internet] [Accessed 9 Dec. 1998]

_____. 10 February 1998. Claudia Herrera Beltran. "En su informe, censura a grupos que utilizan la fuerza para imponer exigencias." [Internet] [Accessed 10 Dec. 1998]

_____. 10 February 1998b. Claudia Herrera Beltran. "Ex policías integraron la agrupación; surgió durante la gestión de José Sarukhan." [Internet] [Accessed 10 Dec. 1998]

_____. 29 April 1997. José Gil Olmos. "Permanecerá la policía en las inmediaciones de la UNAM: rectoría." [Internet] [Accessed 10 Dec. 1998]

Additional Sources Consulted

Mexico NewsPak [Austin, Tex.]. 1997-98.

Latinamerica Press [Lima]. 1996-98.

Latinamerican Regional Reports: Mexico & NAFTA [London]. 1996-98.

Electronic sources: Internet, IRB Databases, Global NewsBank, NEXIS, Refworld, WNC.

Note:

             This list is not exhaustive. Country-specific books and reports available in the Resource Centre are not included.