National Human Rights Commission (Mexico)

Mexico's National Human Rights Commission (Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos, or "CNDH") is the national human rights institution (NHRI) accredited at the United Nations with 'A' status by the International Co-ordinating Committee of NHRIs (the ICC). It is a member of the Network of National Institutions in the Americas, one of four regional groups within the ICC. The Commission is a public institution that enjoys judicial, organizational and functional autonomy from the federal government. Since November 2009 the President of the CNDH has been Raúl Plascencia Villanueva, who succeeded José Luis Soberanes.

History
On February 13, 1989 the Interior Ministry (Secretaría de Gobernación) created the "General Human Rights Department" as a wholly dependent office within the ministry's structure. On June 6, 1990, by presidential decision, the General Human Rights Department" was renamed the "National Human Rights Commission" and gained full autonomy from its parent ministry.

It was not until 1999, after some constitutional reforms, that the National Human Rights Commission became fully independent of the government.

Controversy
In January 2006 the CNDH, in collaboration with the US-based Humane Borders, planned to distribute 70,000 border maps to aid immigrants attempting to cross the US–Mexico border illegally. This action was cause for serious concern in the US government, especially in the department of Homeland Security. The CNDH eventually, in response to allegations that such maps would also lead anti-illegal immigration groups such as the minutemen to common border crossings, dropped the program. While Humane Borders and the CNDH were attempting to distribute the maps in an effort to prevent the hundreds of injuries and deaths that occur along the border every year, many groups within the United States objected to this as an attempt to encourage undocumented immigration. Human rights and humanitarian aid groups claimed that the maps were not meant to encourage new immigration but were instead meant to ensure the safety of those individuals that would normally cross the border without a map.

The maps, which are still available digitally for download, plot out the placement of rescue beacons and water stations along popular migrant paths. They also map out the high number of recorded deaths to visually show how the waters stations help mitigate the loss of life. Along with the maps, the organization also created migrant warning posters titled "Don't Do It! It's Hard! There's Not Enough Water!", which are widely distributed along the Mexican side of the border. These posters, aimed at prospective migrants, highlight in stark terms the dangers of illegal crossings on foot through the desert, despite what smugglers might tell them. The posters give the estimated walking times from entry points and also mark the sites of water stations and recorded deaths.

Presidents of the CNDH
Presidents of the CNDH were originally designated by the President of the Republic. Since 1999 the President of the CNDH is appointed by the Senate. The CNDH has been presided by:

CNDH Consultant Council
The CNDH has a ten-member council, the members of which are appointed by the Senate. The Council is responsible for establishing the CNDH's general guidelines, approving the commission's internal rules and overseeing the its budget. The President of the CNDH serves as the head of the Council.

As of 2006 members of the council were:
 * Héctor Fix-Zamudio
 * Sergio García Ramírez
 * Joaquín López-Dóriga
 * Paulette Dieterlen Struck
 * Loretta Ortiz Ahlf
 * Ricardo Pozas Horcasitas
 * Juliana González Valenzuela
 * Graciela Rodríguez Ortega
 * María Patricia Kurczyn Villalobos
 * Fernando Serrano Migallón