Mexico City.– President Andrés Manuel López Obrador led a tribute this Monday at the National Palace to Mexican migrants living in the United States.
However, the compatriots were celebrated from a distance, because they were not invited to personally witness the festival led by elements of the National Defense Secretariat (Sedena).
Early in the morning, the federal president acknowledged the contributions sent to Mexico by his fellow countrymen, which this year could reach 65 billion dollars. “A tribute to our heroes and heroines who, out of necessity, had to go to the United States to seek a living and now they help us a lot, their families support us a lot, they send resources to the most remote communities in the country, to many towns and regions, they reactivate their economy,” he said.
“This support has reached a level where these remittances are now the main source of income for our country. This year we are estimating that 65 billion dollars will arrive and it is a resource that benefits more than 10 million families in the country.”
At the end of the morning press conference, the head of the Executive moved to the central courtyard of the National Palace where musical groups, an ensemble and a folkloric ballet, as well as horsemen belonging to the Army, Air Force and National Guard presented a show. The festival – broadcast on the official YouTube channels – included songs and dances from Aguascalientes, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Michoacán, Nayarit, Oaxaca, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Veracruz and Zacatecas, considered to be the countries with the highest number of migrant expulsions. In addition to traditional dances, a band, mariachis, trained horses and revelers performed, which made the president laugh. “Of whiskey and brandy, which will be the best liquor? Which will be the best liquor of whiskey and brandy? I say that hot water, because it is intoxicating, intoxicates the president, also the governor,” they sang in the Huastecan song “El Querreque.” The celebration included the march of Zacatecas, the Azteca, Venado, Palmas, Viejitos, Machetes, and Flor de Piña dances, the Guerrero dance of La Iguana, sones such as La Bamba, Las Alazanas, and La Iguana; huapangos such as Potosino and songs such as Guadalajara, Cielito Lindo, Caminos de Guanajuato, Pelas de Gallos, El Viajero, and La Negra. At the end, López Obrador posed for a photo with the participants and cheered for migrants and Mexico. With 43 days until the end of his administration, the President is not expected to hold a meeting with migrants residing in the United States, despite having been requested on several occasions. At the tribute, the president was accompanied by the Secretaries of the Navy, Rafael Ojeda; of Security, Rosa Icela Rodríguez; of the Interior, Luisa María Alcalde, and of Foreign Relations, Alicia Bárcena, as well as the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of National Defense, Ricardo Trevilla Trejo.
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