Yucatán authorities conduct land evictions and arrests amid property disputes

Authorities in Yucatán have conducted operations to reclaim land following reports of illegal occupation and dispossession. In Mérida, an eviction was carried out on property belonging to the Instituto de Vivienda del Estado de Yucatán (IVEY). Those evicted protested the move, claiming they had invested significant time and resources into the land.

In the coastal area of Celestún, three individuals were detained and transferred to the Mérida Social Reinsertion Center (Cereso) for the alleged crime of land dispossession. The suspects reportedly occupied a private plot for approximately one year. Legal representatives claim the detainees alleged that the Mayor of Celestún, Germán Jesús Cauich Pinto, and the Municipal Secretary, Alfonso Manuel García Acosta, provided them with documents intended to falsely prove ownership.

Lawyers involved in the case have presented documentation proving the land has been private property for five years. This incident is part of a larger pattern of land invasions in the coastal zone that began in May 2025, involving dozens of people and reports of armed individuals blocking access to the area.