Opinion ID: 48990
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Internal Structure of the TMM

Text: 4 The TMM is organized in a hierarchical military structure. At the top are a president and vice president, who are responsible for all that occurs in the Mexikanemi. Huerta, who is now incarcerated in a different federal penitentiary, is still president of the TMM. Benito Alonzo, a prisoner in a Texas state penitentiary, is the vice president. 5 Serving directly under the president and vice president are the TMM generals, who are responsible for all that happens in the region of which they are in charge and for maintaining communication with the president and vice president so that everything will always be organized because [the TMM is] an organization. Immediately under the generals are the captains and then the lieutenants, who are responsible for the city where they reside or the prison where they are incarcerated, as the case may be. Under the lieutenants are the sergeants, who are responsible for maintaining order wherever they are. At the bottom of this pyramid are the rank-and-file soldiers, who have the obligation to attempt to do the best possible in [the TMM's] objective to progress and to advance everything with the Mexikanemi. 6 Despite any hierarchical differences within the TMM, its constitution expressly establishes that all TMM members have the obligation of serving and obeying all the rules equally just like any other soldier or brother because all [TMM members] are soldiers and all [TMM members] are Mexican and all [TMM members] are equal. This notion of equality is further exemplified in the TMM's punitive recourse, which provides that [a]ny member of the Mexikanemi, and it does not matter if it is the president, vice president, general, lieutenants or sergeants or soldiers, that violate the rules of the Mexikanemi must suffer the consequences. These consequences usually constitute death and always do so in the case of disloyalty or treason. 7 Even though the TMM is a single organization, its hierarchical structure is divided into two separate and distinct chains of command. The TMM's ranking system is split between those members in prison and those outside of prison or on the street. Thus, there are TMM prison generals, captains, lieutenants, sergeants, and soldiers, and there are street generals, captains, lieutenants, sergeants, and soldiers. TMM prison members only have authority over the TMM's activities within prison, and TMM street members only have authority over activities outside of prison. 8 Because of this dichotomy, the TMM has developed a policy governing TMM members who are released or paroled from prison. When a TMM prison member is released, he is given a certificate of good-standing from the ranking TMM prison official and must then report to the city where he formerly resided. On his return, the TMM member must present his certificate to the sergeant in charge of the section of the city where the returning member formerly resided. The TMM officials in that area must then investigate the returning member to ensure that he is in good standing. Once it has been determined that the returning member has met the necessary requirements, he becomes a street member of the TMM, starting at the rank of soldier, regardless of what his rank had been in prison. Similarly, a street member who is convicted and sent to prison surrenders his street rank and starts anew in prison. The president and vice president, however, retain their rank and corresponding authority whether they are in prison or on the street.