President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that she will send a package of reform initiatives to Congress to address the crisis of missing and unlocated persons in Mexico. According to the National Registry of Missing and Unlocated Persons of the Ministry of Government, there are 124,263 reported cases. Although she has not met with the mothers' search collectives, Sheinbaum highlighted that addressing this issue is a national priority for her government.
In response to the criticism received, the leader labeled those who question her management as "vultures" and "hypocrites". Sheinbaum pointed out that in the past, the disappearance of persons was linked to the State, whereas now it is more related to organized crime. To tackle this issue, the president will sign a decree to strengthen the National Search Commission and committed to publish the disappearance figures monthly.
Regarding the announced reforms, Sheinbaum plans to propose modifications to the General Population Law to establish the Unique Population Registration Certificate as the sole source of identity. This measure will allow cross-referencing information with other administrative records to identify signs of life of persons reported as missing. She will also present a reform initiative to the General Law on the Forced Disappearance of Persons to create the Unique National Forensic Information Base and the National Human Identification Platform.
Additionally, Sheinbaum's government will immediately open investigation files for disappearance or unlocation, equate the crime of disappearance with that of kidnapping, harmonize penalties and investigation procedures at the state and federal levels, and strengthen the Executive Commission for Victim Assistance to improve care for the affected.
