Security and labor unrest in Oaxaca, Mexico

Violence and instability in Oaxaca, Mexico, have fluctuated between targeted attacks and efforts to restore regional mobility. In the Istmo de Tehuantepec region, security escalated following a shooting at the Municipal Palace in Santa María Mixtequilla, where masked individuals targeted the building and a police patrol. The Oaxaca government responded by deploying ‘Binnizá’ Special Forces to conduct patrols and address concerns regarding organized crime infiltration in local politics.

Following these security challenges, authorities reported improvements in regional stability. In the Mixteca region, business leaders noted a decrease in highway robberies on major federal roads. Additionally, the Government of Oaxaca announced the restoration of traffic flow in the Istmo de Tehuantepec after reaching agreements with local residents, successfully reopening the Mitla-Tehuantepec highway and several key circuits including the Ixtepec toll booth and routes to Salina Cruz and Santa María Mixtequilla.

More recently, social unrest has shifted toward labor disputes. Section 22 of the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE) has intensified actions against the State Institute of Public Education of Oaxaca (IEEPO). Following a 24-hour strike, the D-III-4 Delegation initiated a 72-hour strike from October 19 to October 21, involving blockades at administrative offices and streets near IEEPO warehouses.

Union members, including Support and Educational Assistance Personnel (PAAE), are demanding transparency in job assignments and payroll audits. A primary grievance involves the claim that vacancies intended for union members are being held by ‘aviadores’ (individuals receiving pay without performing actual duties). Specifically, protesters have identified José Luis García Henestrosa, a former union leader and local official, as an individual receiving payments for educational and support roles without working. Although authorities agreed that newly hired personnel would begin receiving payments in November, union leader Yenny Aracely Pérez Martínez has deemed the responses insufficient.