I’ve written before about the escalating violence in Mexico and the corresponding increase in people seeking asylum in the United States.  The chances of a Mexican person gaining asylum in the U.S. are very low – only about 2% of Mexican asylum cases are granted.  Now, apparently, Mexican asylum seekers and their advocates have formed a coalition to support each other in their case.  From the Americas Mexico Blog:

Immigration attorneys and immigrant-rights groups in the Texas border city of El Paso said they have formed a coalition aimed at providing greater support for asylum seekers facing a hurdle-ridden application process.

The director of the Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso, Louie Gilot, said cases of Mexicans fleeing drug-related violence have risen significantly over the past two years and that the asylum seekers include former police officers, rights activists, journalists, business leaders and even government officials.

Announcement of the coalition of asylum applicants coincides with a statement by Mexican activist Cipriana Jurado that she has begun the process of seeking political asylum. Jurado told Efe Tuesday that she had kept up her activism over the past five years despite the slayings of more than 19 colleagues and family members but finally decided to flee Mexico to save her own life and seek protection for herself and her children in the United States.

The violence in Mexico is some of the worst in the world.  Perhaps the new coalition will help improve the chances for Mexicans seeking asylum in the United States.  Given the low success rate of Mexican asylum cases, it is apparent that those fleeing the drug violence need all the help they can get.