Mexican legislators challenge government disregard for judicial rulings on environmental and indigenous rights

Mexican federal deputies are criticizing government agencies for allegedly ignoring judicial rulings aimed at protecting indigenous territories and marine ecosystems.

Morena deputy Carlos Arreola Mallol has denounced the Ministry of Economy for appealing a court sentence that invalidated 44 mining concessions in the sacred Wirikuta territory. The ruling, issued by a district court in San Luis Potosí, ordered the cancellation of the concessions and mandated a free, prior, and informed consultation with the Wixárika people. The Ministry of Economy argued that the ancestral and spiritual links to the area were not sufficiently proven, a move Arreola Mallol described as disproportionate and a setback for indigenous rights.

Separately, PAN deputy Daniel Chimal García has called on the Navy (Semar) and the Ministry of Environment (Semarnat) to halt port expansion works in Veracruz. Chimal García alleges that these projects are damaging the ‘La Gallega’ reef and violating a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that had suspended environmental authorizations for the area. He has requested that Profepa investigate the alleged contempt of court and the resulting environmental damage.