Mexican theme park turns border crossing into sport
Jeremy Schwartz
Cox News Service
Aug. 23, 2006 12:00 AM
IXMIQUILPAN, Mexico - On a misty, moonless night, the group scurried down the canyon wall, their feet slipping in the ankle-deep mud. The sirens grew louder as their guide, clad in a ski mask and known only as Poncho, urged them to run faster. "Hurry up! The Border Patrol is coming!"
A couple in matching designer tennis outfits loped awkwardly along, the boyfriend clutching a digital video camera and struggling to keep the screen steady.
The 20 or so people fleeing the Border Patrol aren't undocumented immigrants. They're tourists about 700 miles from the border. Most are well-heeled professionals more likely to travel to the United States in an airplane than on foot. advertisement
They've each paid 150 pesos, or about $15, for what is perhaps Mexico's strangest tourist attraction: a night as an undocumented immigrant crossing the Rio Grande.
Advertising for the mock journey, which takes place at a nature park in the central state of Hidalgo, tells the pretend immigrants to "Make fun of the Border Patrol!" and to "Cross the border as an extreme sport!"
The organizers say they are trying to build empathy for migrants by putting people in their shoes.
And the organizers, members of a Hnahnu indigenous community, speak from experience. Leaders estimate as many as 90 percent of the 2,500-person community have made the journey to the United States, most ending up in the boomtown of Las Vegas.
"We do this to show the people what it's like, to make them more conscious," said Hnahnu elder Luis Santiago Hernandez, who has crossed more than five times. Santiago said that although they try to make the experience authentic, "it's not even 10 percent of the real thing."
The trip also seeks to educate participants on Hnahnu culture and represents a source of income for the community, leaders said. The Mexican government helped finance the creation of the Eco Alberto nature park.
Participants said they were lured by the realistic experience promised by the nearly six-hour nocturnal walk.
"It was like being in their flesh and bones," marveled Oswaldo Martinez, 31, of Cuernavaca.
"It was cool. It was very fun," gushed his friend Mauricio Palacios, 30. "I never imagined it would be like that."
Until almost 2 a.m., the group scaled walls, hid in tunnels, jumped on the back of pickup trucks and followed a path through a cornfield. The trip ended with a ride in blindfolds to a Hnahnu holy place where Poncho, whose name is Alfonso Martinez Flores, asked the group to be more honest and sincere in their lives.
Word of the tourist attraction has provoked much head-scratching among immigrant advocates in the United States and real-life immigrants who have made the trek across the border.
Some called the risk-free adrenaline rush insulting. Others said it could improve the often-conflicted attitudes of Mexicans toward their compatriots who migrate.
"Anything that raises awareness in Mexico of the plight of undocumented immigrants is welcome," said Jorge Bustamante, special Mexican representative to the U.N. for human rights of migrants. "But the indifference is very strong, and it's greater as you ascend in social class."
Maria Garcia, a Mexican immigrant who founded the Hispanic Community Support Center in Duluth, Ga., said the mock crossing could be perceived as exploiting the suffering of migrants. "Someone crossing the border knows they could die," she said. "Someone going on this tour knows they will have fun."
Immigrant rights advocate Josefina Castillo, director of the Austin American Friends Service Committee office in Texas, said the adventure should include dialogue about the economic reasons immigrants leave home. "If it's just part of a show, then it would be (insulting)," she said. "It should lead to more education." Hmmmm.......
At First Glance It Seems Pretty Stupid
When You Get Past The Smoke And Mirrors
(Sounds Like)
The Makings Of Terrorist Training Camps??
Seeds To Attract Middle Eastern "Tourists" ?
700 Miles From Our Southern Border
Public Funding (HaHa ?Tourism?)
More LikeTraining Fees
Room For Expansion
Possibilities For Multiple Levels Of Training
From
Level Basic Introduction 01 - (Described Above)
$15.00 (Fifteen Dollars US) For An Hour
(Think Of It As A Paintball Game, Touristo)
To
Level Expert Advanced 10 - (Weapons Training)
$1500.00(Fifteen Hundred Dollars US)
(guessing HaHa)For A Weekend
Think Of It As Paramilitary Mercenary Style
Terrorist / Guerilla Boot Camp
Training Provided By
Genuine Taliban And Al Quaida Fighters
And Chavez Sponsored Sandanistas
http://www.hannity.com/forum/showthread....
(HaHa)
Bring Your Own (Favorite) Weapon
Or One Will Be Provided For You
Courtesy Of Our Generous Compadre
Hugo Chavez, Presidio De Venezuela
(HaHaHa)
Isn't It Standard US MILITARY
(Dept. Of Defense) Policy
To Seek And Destroy
These Types Of Facilites
With Tactical Weapons
In Middle Eastern Nations??
I Keep Tellin You
Start Thinkin OUTSIDE The Box
(Mainstream Media Accounts And Explainations)
See Things For What They Really Are
Think Outside The Box
Think With Free Will
Not What TV And Newspapers Tells You
Then It ALL Makes Sense
Its An Invasion I agree 100%. It is not like they have to come to America, why would someone pay to see what they are doing, when it is their chioce??
I don't get it. It just proves my motto "people are stupid" Reality television has, yet again, hit a new low.... whoa. Freaking ridiculous! Actually, I think it's pretty funny.
Kind of like Pirate Adventure at Legoland. You can pretend to be pirates, then go back to your hotel for a light supper. Interesting but not stupidest. LOL! Yeah, I don't get it either. And what idiots are actually paying fifteen bucks for this? Just run across the border for free...you might get a bullet in the booty, but hey...at least you didn't get suckered outta your money. Geez. That's AWESOME! Thanks for the info, I never would have known about it any other way! You are doing them a great service. Yeah kinda :) They should all be arrested.....why not try and make a change in your country instead of running away from it. ....oh ya, tht would take effort. one more example of Mexicans exploitation of other Mexicans. a sad state of affairs. This is why Mexicans can't fix their country.They are too busy goofing around. 15 dollars entry fee. This just shows people of Mexico have money only they are unwilling to give back to the community. This is just another rip off. LMAO, training! You better watch out cous! I would do it...... To say the least, it's amusing all right. LOL. NO
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