A global phenomenon with national and local ramifications, migration is often portrayed and dealt with as a political and security crisis by the governments of the countries affected by it. Mexico - a country that belongs to a regional migratory system that connects Central America to the U.S. – provides an illustrative example of the ways in which this dominant narrative of institutional repression contributes to the marginalization of the migrant population. Against a backdrop of human rights discriminations made even worse by the Covid-19 pandemic, shelters across Mexico play a vital role in supporting migrants and asylum seekers.
Embracing a theoretical framework hinged on the Gramscian notion of hegemony and a critical understanding of human rights, the investigation delves into the narratives told by shelters across Mexico and weaves a macro-narrative of grassroots, human rights-based activism. By creating spaces of resistance and counter-hegemonic action, shelters defend and promote the human rights of migrants and asylum seekers and foster their emancipation as fully-fledged social actors. The shelters’ human rights-based activism and the process of emancipation of the migrant population allow for the creation of a counter-hegemonic human rights model that transforms human rights from abstract principles violated by a repressive government into emancipatory, counter-hegemonic tools in the hands of the oppressed.