Human trafficking legal and judicial developments in Mexico

In Mexico, legislative and judicial actions have addressed human trafficking. Deputy Mario Alberto López Hernández of the Green Ecological Party of Mexico proposed a reform to increase prison sentences for those who rent property knowing it is used for trafficking, seeking to raise the minimum sentence from two to five years.

Separately, the Attorney General's Office (FGR) secured a formal prison order in Tamaulipas for a suspect, Ana “N”, on suspicion of human trafficking for the purpose of slavery. Investigations suggest the accused used in-person courses and the internet to recruit victims, who were then subjected to labor exploitation and held in unsanitary conditions under the guise of promised miracles and healings.

Expanding the legislative focus to reproductive rights, Deputy Reginaldo Sandoval Flores of the Labor Party (PT) has proposed an initiative to criminalize reproductive exploitation through surrogacy. The proposal seeks to amend the General Law to Prevent, Punish, and Eradicate Crimes in Matters of Human Trafficking and the Protection and Assistance of Victims.

Under this initiative, those committing reproductive exploitation—whether for profit or not—could face 10 to 20 years in prison. Penalties would increase to 15–25 years if the exploitation involves minors, deception, coercion, or the exploitation of economic or social vulnerability. Stricter sentences are also proposed for involvement by organized crime or if a pregnant woman’s freedom of movement is restricted. Furthermore, medical professionals knowingly providing such services could face 5 to 15 years in prison, while involved public servants would face dismissal and disqualification from office.