Alejandro Solalinde Guerra (born March 19, 1945) is a Mexican

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

priest and

human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

champion. He is the coordinator of the South Pacific Human Mobility Ministry of the Mexican Bishopric and director of ''Hermanos en el Camino'', a shelter that provides Central American migrants with humanitarian aid and education. __TOC__

Biography

Solalinde was born in Texcoco,

Mexico State The State of Mexico ( es, Estado de México; ), officially just Mexico ( es, México), is one of the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Commonly known as Edomex (from ) to distinguish it from th ...

, to Berta Guerra Muñoz and Juan Manuel Solalinde Lozano. He tried to join the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

, but was dissuaded by his superiors from affiliating with an order that was "too progressive." Instead, he joined the Carmelites, only to be expelled for "rebelliousness." Following this, he joined the Institute of Ecclesiastical Studies and was ordained as a priest by Bishop Alfonse Torres Romero of

Toluca Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the States of Mexico, state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. With a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census, Toluca is the fifth most populous city in M ...

. Solalinde has received bachelor's degrees in history and psychology from the Autonomous University of Mexico State, as well as a Master's in Systemic Family Therapy. He has publicly decried the abuses committed against undocumented Latin American migrants and has been threatened multiple times by criminal organizations that traffic humans, arms, and organs. On February 26, 2007 Solalinde founded the shelter “Hermanos en el Camino” in

Ciudad Ixtepec Ixtepec (formally: Ciudad Ixtepec; previously known as Villa de San Jerónimo Doctor) is a small city, and municipality of the same name, located in the state of Oaxaca, in southern Mexico. It is part of the Juchitán District in the west of th ...

Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...

, whose charge is to provide a safe place for migrants and to offer them food, shelter, medical and psychological attention, and legal aid. He has been awarded with numerous prizes and distinctions, such as the 2011 Emilio Krieger Medal, awarded by the National Association of Democratic Lawyers (ANAD in Spanish), as well as the Peace and Democracy human rights award, the Pagés Llergo Prize for Democracy and Human Rights, and the "Lion Heart" acknowledgement from the University of Guadalajara Federation of University Students (FEU). Solalinde left Mexico in May 2012 due to a series of threats targeting his humanitarian work. After two months of exile, he returned to Oaxaca where he recommended that the PRI politicians undertake an act of contrition for the errors made and the abuses committed during their 71-year rule of the country, and asked president Enrique Peña Nieto to take the path of democracy. During an interview, Solalinde also recommended that the PRI not "sound the trumpets" about its questionable victory. He further criticized Oaxacan PRI governor

Ulises Ruiz Ortiz Ulises Ruiz Ortiz (born April 9, 1958) is a Mexican politician and former governor of the State of Oaxaca. He took office in 2004 as a member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Controversies Ruiz Ortiz was accused by some of murd ...

of being the governor who has beaten him the most, and condemned the conduct of the Federal Electoral Institute and the "factual powers" that "impose candidates." Solalinde met with Governor Gabino Cué and his security detail for more than two and a half hours. The executive committed to supporting the shelter directed by the prelate.

Human Rights Award

In 2019, he was awarded the

Geuzenpenning The Geuzenpenning ('Beggar Medal') is a Dutch award given to persons or organizations who have fought for democracy and against dictatorship, racism and discrimination. It has been awarded annually since 1987 in the city of Vlaardingen. The Geuzen ...

for his project ''

Hermanos en el Camino Hermano (Spanish for ''brother'') or Hermana (''sister'') or Hermanos may refer to: *Sibling, a brother or a sister Places *Los Hermanos Archipelago, Venezuela Film and TV *''Hermanas'', 2005 film * ''Hermano'' (film), a 2010 Venezuelan drama ...

'' in

, a shelter for migrants trying to cross the border between Mexico and the United States.

References

External links

Hermanos en el Camino
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solalinde Guerra, Alejandro 1945 births People from Texcoco, State of Mexico Mexican Roman Catholic priests Mexican rebels Mexican activists Living people