Mexico's Labor Secretary defends 'Jóvenes Construyendo el Futuro' program

Mexico's Labor Secretary, Marath Baruch Bolaños, has defended the 'Jóvenes Construyendo el Futuro' program following concerns regarding the suspension of new registrations. Bolaños clarified that while new incorporations are closed for the remainder of the year, the program will continue to support currently enrolled participants. He noted that since 2019, the initiative has benefited over 3.6 million youths with an investment exceeding 177 billion pesos.

President Claudia Sheinbaum previously confirmed that no new beneficiaries will be accepted for the rest of the year, stating there are already sufficient participants, with registrations set to resume in January 2027.

In contrast, Senator Ricardo Anaya Cortés of the PAN party attributed the pause in registrations to a lack of federal resources. Anaya argued that the country's debt has become unsustainable and criticized the government's plan to incur 1.7 trillion pesos in debt, much of which would be used to service interest payments.