UNAM in Support of the Mexican Diaspora. The Assisting Program for Mexicans Abroad

In this edition of UNAM Internacional dedicated to the migration phenomenon, it seems appropriate to highlight UNAM’s Assisting Program for Mexicans Abroad (PAME, Spanish initials). PAME was founded by the university’s rectory in 2015, with the main purpose of serving as a tool to help the Mexican diaspora residing in the United States overcome various challenges. The duties carried by PAME’s operations do not duplicate the tasks of UNAM’s offices in the United States and Canada. Instead, independent of the teaching activities and the cultural outreach endeavors done by the Extension Schools and Mexican Studies Centers of UNAM, PAME organizes and implements programs aimed at the empowerment of Mexican communities. Since its creation, PAME has been hosted by the Mexican Studies Centers in Tucson, Seattle and, for a little over a year, the Extension School in San Antonio, Texas.


PAME’s DUTIES 
The program (whose expenses have been funded by additional self-generated income for the las three years) addresses several areas: the defense of the Spanish language, obtaining American citizenship through naturalization, disseminating messages of prevention and empowerment through mass media, and organizing academic events on migration, healthcare and job training. 
Regarding the defense of the Spanish Language, PAME has collaborated with UNAM’s office in Seattle, San Antonio and Chicago, on four occasions, for the Spanish Language Week. This collaboration aims to amplify and preserve the Spanish language through online dissemination. PAME’s labor and UNAM’s offices abroad have garnered support from various universities, different departments within the Cervantes Institute, the Spanish and Mexican consulates, as well as UNAM’s Teaching Center for Foreigners (CEPE). In addition, several cultural events have been organized on the Conquest and the Independence of Mexico. 

Various online events hosted by UNAM’s offices abroad have been conducted to assist in understanding the challenges of the migration phenomenon in the United States. These include the videoconference Migration and Human Rights in the United States, the seminary Analysis of Migratory Policies in the United States: An Uncertain Year and an intensive course on the United States’ migratory system, co-organized with UNAM’s Law School. 

The program aimed to help Mexican permanent residents in obtaining American citizenship has been an ongoing initiative by PAME in collaboration with UNAM’s offices in Los Angeles, San Antonio and Tucson, until now. For this program, PAME has maintained a longstanding partnership with Carlos Slim Foundation’s platform Acceso Latino (https://accesolatino.org/), to offer English training as well as teaching the country’s history, civics and geography through and innovative system that incorporates echoic memory and animations, among other technical elements. 

We believe that naturalization is a crucial piece for empowerment, as completing the naturalization process allows the Mexican communities to hold dual citizenships and leads them to potential advances concerning salaries and job opportunities, as well as the ability to petition for more family members to join them in the United States. In 2024 the Ambassador of Mexico to the United States, Esteban Moctezuma, stated that 2.4 million Mexican residents are eligible for American citizenship. In addition to the familial and individual benefits that citizenship brings, this number of residents that have not completed the process of naturalization could represent a significant voting bloc in the composition of the governmental bodies at all levels. This is the only way to participate efficiently in the democratic system of the United States. 

PAME has been using repeatedly radio waves to reach important clusters of the Spanish-speaking communities that still use radio as a useful, day to day tool for information and entertainment. Messages disseminated deal with Hispanic-American literature and include segments on healthcare developed with the participation of professors from UNAM’s Medicine School and with support from a public radio station. 


HEALTH AND EMPLOYMENT
In response to obesity and type 2 diabetes problems faced by Mexican communities, PAME conducted a pilot program in collaboration with the Mexican consulate, the American Diabetes Association, Sea Mar Community Health Centers and the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubirán. The program aimed to obtain a blood sample from the services applicants at the consulate, and based on the results, direct the individuals with diabetes or pre-diabetes to a clinic near their residence. All the services provided were completely free, however, the COVID-19 pandemic unfortunately made it impossible to continue with the program. Another health initiative was the participation of the PAME’s coordinator, Jorge Madrazo, in the program Border Humanitarian Health Initiative by the University of California. 

Finally, PAME has also taken responsibility for providing employment training in collaboration with the Carlos Slim Foundation and the platform Acceso Latino. In the past few months, a program to train waiters has been launched in Austin, Texas. The hybrid course curriculum is provided by Acceso Latino with the support of the Consulate General of Mexico in Austin, the Texas Restaurant Association, and two Mexican restaurants in Austin. PAME will facilitate the certification that students must obtain to work in the area (in March 2024, a bartender training module began as a part of the program). 

FINAL WORDS 
The never-ending needs of the large Mexican diaspora are continuously increasing. To address this effectively, and to enhance the support provided, it is essential to align with more UNAM departments, along with public and private institutions from both countries. PAME is a proof of UNAM’s dedication to help Mexicans who are unable to reside in our homeland, whose Mexican identity is expressed differently every day, and not solely through the significant economic impact of remittances sent to support many Mexican families. 

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