Chiapanecos cheered on as thousands of centroamericanos broke through the gates of our southern border, displaying to the best of their ability the deeply-rooted Mexican value of hospitality, a characteristic within us that is beginning to forge a double edged sword. For decades, hundreds of thousands of migrants went through the only “filter” our border has, which is literally is just a narrow bridge that connects us with Guatemala. We let them in because we pride ourselves with being more humane and helpful than our northern neighbors, yet the toll this has had on us will continue to be exacerbated.

Central American gangs in México, such as La Mara Salvatrucha, have already begun to take control over regions in the south. These criminal organizations mirror those that once brought murder, kidnappings, and narcoterrorism to Monterrey. Our people, who once blindly welcomed anyone coming in, are now falling victim to “imported” violence. Police officers are met with stones, improvised weapons, and molotov cocktails at the border. The image of innocent migrants is true to an extent, yet we can not ignore the mob disguised as something they’re not. We need to be able to control our border and distinguish among the crowd who really deserves to be welcomed as asylum seekers.

This position is not new, nor is it unfair, it is one built around our limited ability to receive and care for such an enormous amount of migrants. We live in a country where 25 million people earn less than 200 pesos a day, while 20 million children live in poverty—shouldn’t we help them out first? Once we manage to get Mexicans up their feet, than we can look out after our neighbors with the hospitality and care we are known for. It is not a matter of lack of humanity, but of lack of means.