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Families of Mexico's near-135,000 missing persons protest as World Cup kicks off

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Hundreds of relatives searching for Mexico's nearly 135,000 missing persons marched in Mexico City during the FIFA World Cup's inauguration.
  • Protesters criticized the government's inaction and the vast spending on the World Cup while their loved ones remain missing.
  • Families face long bureaucratic processes and weak state support, forcing them to search dangerous areas independently, with some activists killed.

Hundreds of relatives searching for loved ones among Mexico's nearly 135,000 missing people marched in Mexico City on Thursday, coinciding with the FIFA World Cup's inauguration. Protesters aimed to draw attention to their plight and criticize what they described as a lack of government action.

Activists from "madres buscadoras" (mothers who search) groups traveled from various states to participate in a candle-lit vigil and a larger march toward the Mexico City Stadium. Hector Aguila, who organizes the Jalisco-based search group Luz de Esperanza (Light of Hope) and has been looking for his son since 2023, expressed frustration with the government's handling of the crisis. "We are against that they invest so many millions of pesos in this while we are left in oblivion," he stated outside a fan party.

We're not against the World Cup, we're not against people coming here to enjoy the party. We are against that they invest so many millions of pesos in this while we are left in oblivion.

— Hector AguilaHector Aguila, organizer of the Jalisco-based searchers' group Luz de Esperanza, expressing frustration over government priorities during the World Cup.

Alexandra Campa, searching for her brother for over a year, called seeking help from the state a waste of time, citing constant changes in legal representatives and a lack of solutions. The government attributes the disappearances primarily to cartels and violence linked to the "war on drugs" initiated by a former president. While the government asserts that locating the missing is a national priority, critics argue that insufficient state support and institutional backlogs compel families to search alone in hazardous regions.

Some activists have been killed while searching, and critics believe the high number of unresolved cases obscures the true scale of deadly violence in Mexico. The protests, which began peacefully with participants wearing white or green jerseys bearing images of the missing, saw some groups later tear down fences and clash with security forces, leading to the deployment of riot police.

Every month they change the lawyer. There is never a solution and there are thousands of cases like mine.

— Alexandra CampaAlexandra Campa, searching for her brother, describing the difficulties faced by families seeking help from the state.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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