#07/2023
For immediate distribution
Monday, March 27, 2023
PRESS RELEASE
The Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego provides the following update regarding the case of Mr. Andrés Argüelles Álvarez:
On February 11, 2023, Mr. Andrés Argüelles Álvarez, a street vendor of Mexican origin, was harassed by a group of young women outside San Diego State University (SDSU). Videos posted on social media went viral in the hours following this incident. Mr. Argüelles was verbally attacked by a group of young women who were also carelessly touching and contaminating his food. Mr. Argüelles politely asked them to leave, without success; he was referred to as an “illegal”.
During the following days, the Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego and partner organizations came together to address this appalling incident, offering all the support available to victims in these cases. Mr. Argüelles is now being provided with all the necessary resources for his defense.
The Consulate of Mexico provided Mr. Argüelles with financial resources ($1,000.00) from its emergency fund for victims, aimed at compensating what he might have earned in the days of work he lost. Lilia Velázquez, immigration consultant attorney and Jesús Eduardo Arias, civil consultant attorney, both from the Consulate, provided Mr. Argüelles with legal advice. The Mexican Consulate assisted as well in connecting the victim to other community resources and filed an online report at the Anti-Defamation League hate incident online platform.
Anti-Defamation League experts immediately responded with a detailed incident analysis, including reviewing the videos and other materials that may have shown hate language. Alliance San Diego intervened and called the attention of many agencies, including City Heights and Logan Heights Community Development Corporations, which have been assisting Mr. Argüelles in vendor permits and business orientation. Alliance San Diego also addressed concerns on the major sidewalk vendors business issue and proposed specific actions.
The incident was highlighted into the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium and introduced to the San Diego Regional Anti-Hate Crimes Coalition Meeting, where a group of civil rights and human rights advocates meet regularly to raise relevant issues regarding hate incidents and hate crimes, to devise preventive measures and to act accordingly. The Coalition is co-chaired by the US Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of California.
There are, unfortunately, many cases like Andrés’, most of which are going unreported. The Mexican Consulate and its allies are acting in this regard by providing all the assistance available to victims and working along with them to prevent these incidents from happening in the future.
For media purposes, hereby you will find quotes from the Consulate’s partners:
Carlos González Gutiérrez Consul General of Mexico in San Diego, stated:
“The Government of Mexico, through the Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego, provides assistance at this and other unfortunate incidents that occur within our jurisdiction. Each time an abuse is committed towards a Mexican national, we raise our voice (…) Our community shall be aware that we will not tolerate aggression, discrimination or racial profiling in any of its expressions.”
Fabienne Perlov, Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League San Diego, stated:
“ADL San Diego denounces all forms of hate, antisemitism, racism, and bigotry of any kind. In early March, ADL’s San Diego Regional Office participated in an information exchange with the Mexican Consulate and other organizations to discuss Mr. Andres Arguelles’ incident and offer our support. We look forward to ongoing discussions with the Mexican Consulate, law enforcement and community partners.”
Patricia Mondragon, Regional Policy Manager for Alliance San Diego, stated:
“Alliance San Diego condemns the recent violence and harassment against sidewalk vendors in our region. Under the international Universal Declaration of Human Rights all people have a right to work and operate a business of their choice under favorable conditions ensuring for themselves and their families an existence worthy of dignity. California’s Senate Bill (SB) 946, passed in 2019, recognizes that sidewalk vending is an important entrepreneurial business which creates economic development opportunities for low income and immigrant communities by legalizing sidewalk vending in the state of California. Sidewalk vendors deserve to be treated with dignity and have a universally recognized right to operate their businesses without fear of violence or harassment.”
Paulina Reyes, Chair for the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium (SDIRC), stated:
“The San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium (SDIRC) condemns the recent attacks against sidewalk vendors in our region. This is precisely why SDIRC warned about the dangers of the xenophobic, racially charged rhetoric that was being used against sidewalk vendors during hearings on sidewalk vending ordinances in our region – because we know that hateful rhetoric against our communities can lead to harassment, violence, and the targeting of our community members. Sidewalk vending is of important cultural and economic significance to the immigrant community, and part of a long-standing tradition throughout San Diego county. We need to protect the rights of sidewalk vendors in our region, and work to ensure that they are treated with dignity and respect. SDIRC stands with sidewalk vendors as well as the Mexican Consulate and other organizational partners who provide resources and advocacy to protect vendors.”
City Heights Community Development Corporation & Logan Heights Community Development Corporation, stated:
“City Heights Community Development Corporation & Logan Heights Community Development Corporation stand in unity in denouncing the escalating racism and hate towards the sidewalk vending community across the County of San Diego. We especially want to call out the wave of xenophobic and racist attacks directed towards our Central American, Mexican-American, Indigenous, Spanish speaking sidewalk vendors.
We call on our County and City of Diego elected officials to impose greater protections for our sidewalk vendors and even greater punishments against those who engage in clear racially motivated attacks that threaten the health, safety, and well-being of our small business community of sidewalk vendors. No entrepreneur or individual should ever fear for their life as they work honestly to provide for their families and households.
Both, City Heights CDC & Logan Heights CDC offer our services, support, and refuge to our sidewalk vending community in San Diego and will continue to work with our sidewalk vending micro-entrepreneurs to ensure cases like Andres Arguelles, the recent assault to a sidewalk vendor in El Cajon, and many others that go unreported no longer take place in our border town of San Diego.”
Lilia Velázquez, immigration consultant attorney from the Mexican, stated:
“For many decades undocumented victims of crimes were considered the “perfect victims” because they were afraid to report the crime against them for fear of deportation. Without the victims’ testimony, criminals were not prosecuted, and justice was not done.
In October 2000 Congress created the U nonimmigrant visa to protect victims of violence. If the victims cooperate with law enforcement in the investigation and prosecution of the crime, they could obtain temporary legal status. It is a “win-win” situation. Law enforcement is strengthened in bringing justice to the victim, and the victim is protected from deportation.
In addition to being a victim of a qualifying crime, the victim needs to demonstrate substantial physical or mental harm. Recently, sidewalk vendors have suffered assaults, some appear to be racially motivated. This vulnerable group have become a new target for criminals. Even if the victim did not suffer physical harm, law enforcement must investigate and prosecute these cases. The trauma and severe mental harm done to these victims and to society cannot be ignored”.
Jesús Eduardo Arias, civil consultant attorney from the Mexican Consulate, stated:
“We stand for the fundamental values of Respect for Civil Rights, Human Rights, and the fundamental Freedom of every person to earn a living with dignity. We are deeply concerned about Mr. Arguelles case and working along Consulate of Mexico and allies - community organizations. In hope that this type of incidents do not occur again in our community.”