Mexico Reaffirms Commitment to Families of the Disappeared and Announces New Search Measures

Mexico’s Interior Ministry renewed its commitment to families searching for disappeared relatives, saying they have a legitimate right to know the truth and obtain justice.

Arturo Medina Padilla, the ministry’s undersecretary for human rights, population and migration, said the search for missing people remains a government priority. He said officials would continue working with families and collectives “with sensitivity, responsibility and respect for human rights.”

The ministry presented 10 measures under the National Strategy for Searching for Missing Persons. The proposals aim to improve the quality of information, expand institutional capacity, speed up the location and identification of people, and strengthen coordination with families and state governments.

The plan calls for complete information in every report in the National Registry of Missing and Unlocated Persons. Ten national and international experts will support technical, scientific and legal analysis. Each disappearance report should also receive an investigation file, while authorities will provide progress updates through the Unique Identity Platform and searches conducted by states and National Search Commission brigades.

Other measures include expanding searches for people who may still be alive in hospitals, detention centers and other public and private institutions. The Attorney General’s Office will lead a human-identification plan to reduce the forensic backlog. The strategy also calls for preventing the recruitment and coercion of young people through digital platforms, adding specialized staff to the National Search Commission, maintaining dialogue with families and collectives, and taking assistance programs into the states.

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The search for disappeared persons is a priority for the Government of Mexico, and we will continue joining efforts with families and collectives, with sensitivity, responsibility and respect for human rights.