Mexico Disappearances: Families Fight to Keep Missing Persons Visible Ahead of World Cup

Guadalajara, Mexico – The streets of Mexico’s second-largest city are saturated with a haunting visual: thousands of fliers bearing the faces of the disappeared. These makeshift memorials, plastered on buildings, monuments, and public infrastructure, represent a deepening crisis of forced disappearances in the state of Jalisco, and a growing fear among families that these visible reminders will be erased ahead of the FIFA World Cup in June. The situation underscores a broader pattern of over 130,000 missing people across Mexico, a number that continues to climb, and raises questions about government priorities in the face of widespread violence and impunity.

The surge in disappearances coincides with a period of heightened cartel activity following the recent killing of a powerful cartel leader known as “El Mencho.” Jalisco, at the heart of this violence, has documented 12,500 cases of disappearances, making it one of the most affected states in the country. Families, desperate for answers, have taken to public spaces to maintain visibility, but now face potential obstacles as authorities consider measures to remove the fliers in the lead-up to the international sporting event.

A City Marked by Loss

The sheer volume of fliers is striking. They aren’t confined to specific areas; they permeate daily life in Guadalajara. Workers navigate around them, basketball players practice alongside them, and cars pass them every day. Each poster carries a plea: “We miss you,” “Have you seen her?” or “We’re looking for you,” accompanied by a photograph and identifying details of the missing person. This constant visual presence serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of the ongoing violence and the failures of the justice system.

Carmen López, a woman searching for her brother and nephew who disappeared in separate incidents, expressed concerns that the government is prioritizing the image of the city for the World Cup over the plight of the missing. “They don’t want people coming to the World Cup, people coming from abroad, to see” the fliers, she said, “It’s not in their interest, as they would get their hands dirty. It makes the government look bad in front of the entire world.” As reported by the Associated Press, this sentiment reflects a broader distrust of authorities and a perception that the government is more concerned with its international image than with addressing the root causes of the disappearances.

The Scale of the Crisis

Mexico’s disappearance crisis is not a recent phenomenon. Even as the majority of cases have occurred since the start of the “war on drugs” in 2006, reports of missing persons date back to 1952. According to the BBC, over 130,000 people are currently missing in Mexico, a number large enough to populate a small city. The disappearances are often linked to drug cartels, who use forced recruitment and murder to consolidate control and conceal their activities. However, security forces have too been implicated in cases of disappearances, further eroding public trust.

The problem extends far beyond Jalisco. Demonstrations have been held across the country, from Mexico City to Oaxaca, with families demanding greater government action and accountability. These protests highlight the widespread impact of the crisis and the urgent require for a comprehensive response. The scale of the issue is so vast that it has become emblematic of the lack of justice and deep-seated corruption that plagues Mexico, particularly in states like Jalisco.

Search Collectives and the Fight for Visibility

In the absence of effective government action, families have taken matters into their own hands, forming search collectives to investigate potential grave sites and distribute fliers. Héctor Flores, a leader of the “Luz de Esperanza” (Light of Hope) collective in Jalisco, began his search after his 19-year-old son was forcibly disappeared by state prosecutor’s agents in 2021. His collective, comprised of 500 families, hangs between 2,000 and 5,000 fliers every weekend, displaying the faces of the missing and providing crucial identifying information.

Flores emphasizes that hanging the fliers is not only an act of searching but also an act of visibility. “This is an act of searching in real time, with the hope that people who see these ID cards, they can provide us with information that will help us locate our families,” he explained. “It’s also an act of visibility.” However, these efforts are constantly undermined by the removal of the fliers, forcing families to repeatedly renew their search efforts.

Proposed Legislation and Concerns over a Ban

The potential removal of the fliers has sparked controversy, particularly in light of a proposed legislative modification. While initially intended to protect the fliers from being taken down, the proposed changes, put forward by state legislator Norma López of the Morena party, could inadvertently create prohibited public spaces for hanging them. Families fear this is a deliberate attempt to whitewash the issue of disappearances ahead of the World Cup.

Legislator López has denied these accusations, claiming the proposal is a “bad interpretation” by search groups and that her intention is to defend families searching for their loved ones. She argues that the law would only restrict the placement of fliers in specific locations, such as public universities and government buildings, where they are already permitted. However, families remain skeptical, viewing the proposal as another attempt to silence their voices and conceal the extent of the crisis.

Security Concerns and the World Cup

The situation in Guadalajara is further complicated by security concerns surrounding the upcoming World Cup. Recent violence following the death of a cartel leader has raised questions about the city’s ability to host matches safely. The Diving World Cup, scheduled to be held in a Guadalajara suburb in March, was canceled due to these concerns, and the Portuguese soccer federation has expressed its own anxieties about the situation. As ABC News reports, these events underscore the challenges Mexico faces in ensuring the safety and security of international events.

Adding to the difficulties, some search groups in Jalisco have been forced to suspend investigations into potential clandestine grave sites due to a lack of security protection from federal forces, who have been diverted to address the recent violence. This leaves families feeling increasingly vulnerable and hopeless.

What Lies Ahead

The future remains uncertain for the families of the disappeared in Guadalajara and across Mexico. The proposed legislation, coupled with the heightened security concerns surrounding the World Cup, threatens to further marginalize their voices and hinder their search efforts. The Mexican National Search Commission for the disappeared has yet to respond to requests for comment, leaving families feeling abandoned and ignored.

The situation highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive and sustained response to the disappearance crisis. This includes not only increased resources for investigations and search efforts but also a commitment to addressing the root causes of the violence and impunity that fuel the disappearances. Without such a commitment, the faces on the fliers will continue to haunt the streets of Guadalajara, a constant reminder of the human cost of Mexico’s ongoing struggle with organized crime and government inaction.