Families Of Missing People Worry New Law Could Complicate Searches In Mexico

By Murphy Woodhouse
Published: Friday, May 21, 2021 - 4:12pm

Dozens of groups across Mexico are dedicated to searching for the remains of missing loved ones. Some worry that a new law could make that hard work even harder.

Members of the Movement for our Disappeared in Mexico had asked Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to veto the measure. They fear it could curtail the role of the Mexican Attorney General’s Office in the National System for the Search for Missing People, which — along with other changes — they say could complicate the work of searching groups.

Instead of being vetoed, the law was published this week.

“The president has always publicly stated that he’s not going to do anything against victims,” said Martin Villalobos, a member of the movement. “But here there is a betrayal of the people because they are not doing what the people are asking for.”

The group plans to mount a legal challenge to the law, according to Villalobos.

Fronteras Sonora