MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president on Wednesday unveiled a bilingual “hymn” to Mexican migrants living in the United States, even as migrants from other countries continue to suffer abuses, delays and hostility in Mexico.
President Claudia Sheinbaum used her morning news briefing to present the song “Migrant Hymn.” The lyrics, a mix of English and Spanish, include lines like “where we are from, no nos rajamos” (we don't give up).
Sheinbaum called Mexican migrants “heroes,” in part because they sent $63 billion back home to relatives in Mexico last year.
Stressing migrants' loyalty to Mexico, the song says “Cambiamos de lugar, no de bandera” (we change our location, not our flag).
While about 11 million Mexicans live in the United States — including about 5 million without proper documents — many had to flee Mexico because of violence or lack of opportunities, and it remains unclear how loyal or closely tied they remain to the government.
It also remains unclear how much the Mexican government is able — or willing — to do in the face of threats by U.S. president-elect Donald Trump to carry out mass deportations of migrants.
Israel Concha, director of New Comienzos, a group in Mexico City that helps returning migrants fit back into society in Mexico, said “The challenges don’t stop when we return to Mexico. Once again we face uncertainty about whether our own government is willing to accept us back in a dignified way and help us.”
On the same day the hymn was unveiled, a migrant shelter in the northern border city of Reynosa announced it could no longer accept newcomers, because gangs were kidnapping so many migrants from its doorstep.
Rev. Héctor Silva, who runs the Senda de la Vida (Path of Life) in Reynosa, across from McAllen, Texas, said the situation is so dangerous in the cartel-dominated border city that police escort migrants to appointments for their U.S. asylum applications.
“Until people have security and they stop kidnapping migrants when they arrive ... we don't want any more arriving,” said Silva.
Also on Wednesday, a new caravan of migrants began walking north toward the U.S. border from the city of Tapachula, near the border with Guatemala. The migrants said they were tired of being blocked from crossing Mexico by the government.
But they have little or no chance of making it more than a few dozen miles. In November, Mexican officials broke up two similar migrant caravans.
Apart from the much larger first caravans in 2018 and 2019 — which were provided buses to ride part of the way north — no caravan has ever reached the U.S. border walking or hitchhiking in any cohesive way, though some individual members have made it.
For years, migrant caravans have often been blocked, harassed or prevented from hitching rides by Mexican police and immigration agents. They have also frequently been rounded up or returned to areas near the Guatemalan border.
This week, the human rights group Doctors Without Borders wrote in a report that “hundreds of thousands of migrants, the majority of whom are crossing to reach the United States, fall into limbo in Mexico, hemmed in by violence.”
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
FILE - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum gives a media briefing from the National Palace in Mexico City, Oct. 2, 2024, the morning after her inauguration. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Spencer Horwitz was settling in to watch “Gladiator II” with his girlfriend last week when his phone buzzed.
By the time the movie — with a running time of 2 hours, 28 minutes — was over, the first baseman had been traded.
Twice.
First from Toronto to Cleveland in a deal that sent Gold Glove second baseman Andrés Giménez to the Blue Jays. About an hour later, the Guardians flipped Horwitz to Pittsburgh in exchange for three pitchers.
To be honest, Horwitz was kind of entertained. Relieved, too.
While Horwitz was “ecstatic” when he heard he was heading to the reigning AL Central champions, he was a little confused, too.
“I know they have some really good first basemen," he said. “And they had (traded) Giménez and I was curious if I was going to play second, third or kind of what the plan was.”
Turns out, none of the above.
Enter the Pirates, who have had a revolving door at the position since trading Josh Bell to Washington in December 2020. Pittsburgh has employed four different opening day first basemen over the last four years: Colin Moran, Yoshi Tsutsugo, Carlos Santana and Rowdy Tellez.
Horwitz, who is under team control through the end of the decade, will have an opportunity to provide some stability for a team that believes the window to contend is fully open thanks to a starting rotation led by NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes.
“I mean the pitching everyone talks about and how unbelievable it is,” Horwitz said. “And facing the Pirates in the minor leagues, I felt it firsthand. They all throw hard. They all throw inside. They all have really hard offspeed. So I'm glad they're going to be my team.”
The 27-year-old Horwitz hit .265 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs in 97 games for Toronto last season. While he understands that at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds he doesn't profile as a traditional power hitter at what is considered a power position, Horwitz doesn't think he needs to hit the ball over the fence 30-40 times a year to be effective at the plate.
“I think I bring a quality at-bat and can work counts and can do damage,” he said. “Damage isn't just home runs, that’s what I’ve learned. It can come in doubles. It can come in triples. I’m not a burner that might get a lot of triples, but they’ll come.”
Horwitz worked 42 walks last season, and his .357 on-base percentage would have led the Pirates, who finished near the bottom of the National League in most major offensive categories, leading to an overhaul that included bringing on Matt Hague as hitting coach last month. Horwitz and Hague worked together extensively while both were with the Blue Jays.
“He’s been tremendous in my career,” Horwitz said of Hague. “And I know I wouldn’t be here without him. So I know he’s going to bring great things, not just for me, but for the entire organization.”
It's unclear where Horwitz might fit in the Pittsburgh lineup, which figures to be anchored by left fielder Bryan Reynolds and shortstop Oneil Cruz. Horwitz's ability to get on base means he could fit in nicely at leadoff, though he could fit somewhere in the middle.
Not that it matters to Horwitz, who understands that not many 24th-round picks ever reach the majors, especially now that the amateur draft goes just 20 rounds deep. He remembers being an undersized prospect “doing everything I could to get noticed.”
It worked, though now he knows that the real work is just beginning.
“I’m definitely proud of where I’ve gotten to, but I wouldn’t say I’m satisfied,” he said. “I obviously have a lot more I want to accomplish in this game, and hopefully I can do that in the black and gold.”
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FILE - Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Spencer Horwitz reaches for an infield grounder during a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius, File)
