Borders should never be barriers to justice. That’s why I’m excited to share that, in collaboration with the Immigrant Justice Clinic at American University Washington College of Law (IJC) and Justice in Motion (JiM), we’ve updated our Money Transfers to Mexico Manual; a key resource that provides critical support for advocates looking to deliver unpaid wages and other compensations from court victories, administrative complaints, or settlement agreements to their clients in Mexico.
Workers who speak out and defend their rights often face a long and difficult journey in pursuit of justice. It can take years of navigating complex legal systems and bureaucracies—even with the support of advocates and legal organizations—before getting justice. But even after a legal or administrative win, getting their hands on their hard-earned money is sometimes still a long way off due to obstacles in the Mexico-US financial systems.
Transferring funds from the United States to Mexico is rarely straightforward. Differences between the countries’ banking systems continue to create serious challenges for workers trying to access unpaid wages, damages and other compensation. This is something we’ve dealt with and learned from over the almost 20 years since I founded CDM. And now, we are happy to be able to share our insights from years of binational experience making sure our clients can get justice.
The fourth edition of Money Transfers to Mexico: A Manual Examining the Transfer of Funds from U.S. Advocates to Clients in Mexico provides lawyers with practical tools to understand the complexities and navigate this intricate fund transfer process.
Just last year, CDM drew on this experience to facilitate the transfer of nearly $467,000 USD in back wages and compensation for 602 workers. I am confident that the Money Manual will be a valuable resource for those who work every day to advance justice for migrant workers on both sides of the border.