Mexico reports 15,311 property dispossession victims amid high impunity

The Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP) reported 15,311 victims of property dispossession in Mexico during the first half of the year. Six states account for half of these cases, with the State of Mexico leading with 2,449 cases, followed by Mexico City (2,039), Guanajuato (940), Puebla (830), Veracruz (774), and Jalisco (685).

According to México Evalúa, the national impunity rate for this crime is 96.36%, rising to 99.68% in the State of Mexico. In the State of Mexico, authorities reportedly reclassify 38.72% of cases as civil matters—such as inheritance or possession disputes—effectively removing them from criminal statistics even when owners possess legal deeds.

In Mexico City, the FGJ reported 21.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. While the anti-dispossession cabinet handled 1,032 matters in a year, resulting in 185 restitutions, researchers from CIDE note a significant gap in justice. Data suggests that in Mexico City, of approximately 60,000 dispossession cases accumulated over 15 years, only 7% resulted in a detainee, 1% reached a sentence, and 2% saw the property recovered.