Mexican authorities often complain -- and rightly so -- of the way their citizens are treated at the U.S. border. Too many fall victim to vigilante groups that attempt to take the law into their own hands, or to racist hate groups that pour their venom on poor, innocent people just because of the color of their skin.

But Mexico needs to take a long, hard look at how immigrants from other countries are treated in its own territory. Compared with what some immigrants go through when they enter Mexico illegally, coming to the U.S. without documents is a walk in the park.

The latest report on the kidnapping of immigrants prepared by Mexico's National Human Rights Commission shows how, for many immigrants -- mostly from Central America -- who cross through Mexico trying to get to the U.S., the American Dream turns into a nightmare once they set foot on Mexican soil.

In a five-month period, from September 2008 to February of this year, the commission documented 9,758 kidnappings of immigrants -- that's an average of 1,600 a month, up to 50 a day. At that rate, it estimates that the number of kidnappings this year could reach 20,000.

According to the report, the conditions under which immigrants are kept are appalling. In warehouses, hotel rooms, detention camps, safe houses or even inside vehicles, immigrants are tied up, blindfolded, in some cases fed only once a day. Some are forced to sleep on the floor, naked. Nine out of 10 said their life was threatened, many were tortured and some even were raped while waiting for their ransom to be paid.

The majority of these atrocities are committed by human traffickers and organized-crime groups such as the “Zetas,” a known band of drug dealers and their hit men, who are responsible for a lot of the drug violence in Mexico. However, in at least 91 of the documented cases, it was Mexican law-enforcement agents who held the immigrants captive; others say that police either looked the other way or covered up the kidnappings in exchange for money and/or alcohol.

In recent years, Mexico has become the kidnapping capital of the world. In most cases, kidnapping victims have been Mexican nationals who were held for ransom, sometimes from prominent families who were willing to pay millions to get their loved ones back. There have been many unfortunate cases in which the kidnapping victim was killed even though the ransom was paid.

But the kidnapping of immigrants is another story. The abduction of these foreigners is part of the funding that organized-crime groups are depending on more and more. It is no longer enough for the so-called coyotes or polleros, as the human traffickers are known, to charge large amounts of money to transport people through the border; now they hold them hostage, increasing the amounts.

The Human Rights Commission estimates that during the five-month period reported on, the kidnappers earned up to $25 million in profits. It is a lucrative business that demeans human life in the most horrific way.

Illegal immigration is a very complex issue. The reasons for it range from the lack of opportunities in their own countries that force so many immigrants to leave, to the prospect of making a decent living and helping their loved ones back home. It is a matter of survival. Something needs to be done both in their countries of origin to keep them from wanting to leave, and in the U.S., not only to protect our borders, but to provide opportunities for a much-needed work force in certain sectors of our society. But in the process, immigrants need to be treated like what they are -- human beings in search of a better life.

Mexico cannot have it both ways. Mexican authorities need to crack down on violence against immigrants from other countries before they can start demanding decent treatment for their citizens abroad.

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(Maria Elena Salinas is the author of “I AM MY FATHER'S DAUGHTER: LIVING A LIFE WITHOUT SECRETS.” Reach her at www .mariaesalinas.com)

© 2009 by Maria Elena Salinas

Distributed by King Features Syndicate