“Morogris” for Borderland Beat
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| Over 100,000 people are missing across Mexico; Ciudad Juarez has had high numbers of disappearances since the early 1990s (image credit: Wotancito) |
Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, formerly labeled as the world’s deadliest city, has over 1,400 missing persons since 2008.
This figure surpasses the numbers recorded in numerous Mexican states, not to mention other cities. Surprisingly, the official website of the State Search Commission displays only 103 missing persons along with their photos.
El Diario de Juarez newspaper requested an interview with Omar Antonio Tinoco Torres, head of the Local Search Commission, earlier this week. However, authorities confirmed that he resigned from the Prosecutor’s Office last June. This update was not publicly communicated, and several members of civil society organizations in Ciudad Juárez were unaware of his departure.
The question remains: Where are the remaining missing individuals? And why aren’t all the missing persons depicted in the government’s official website?
Background
Situated across the US-Mexico border from El Paso, Texas, Ciudad Juarez, with a population of 1.5 million, is one of the most violent cities in Mexico.
Ciudad Juarez is particularly infamous for widespread disappearances, especially against women. Since the early 1990s, mass kidnappings of women have been reported and have become the subject of study. Unfortunately, not much has changed in Ciudad Juarez since then.
The city continues to attract tens of thousands of young women from impoverished rural areas in Chihuahua and beyond to work in maquiladoras—assembly plants operated by major American corporations. These jobs, with wages as low as $55 per week, are predominantly taken up by women and girls, some as young as 13 or 14. They compromise over 60 percent of the maquiladora workforce.
Amidst the massive migration waves from Central and South America, an increasing number of individuals have relocated to Ciudad Juarez with the aspiration of reaching their ultimate destination—the United States. However, many of these migrants have mysteriously disappeared without a trace in Ciudad Juarez.
Recent data from the National Transparency Platform (PTN) indicates that Ciudad Juarez has the highest missing persons statistics since the onset of Mexico’s drug war. Factors such as migration, human smuggling, and drug dealing (narcomenudeo) have contributed to this alarming phenomenon.
Kidnappings are particularly concentrated in neighborhoods in the west and southeast areas of the city. These residential areas also experience a high incidence of crimes like drug dealing.
Sectors such as Anapra, Felipe Ángeles, Bellavista, Barrio Alto, Zona Centro, and Anáhuac in the west, as well as Finca Bonita, Cerradas del Parque, and Riberas del Bravo in the southeast, consistently report more kidnappings that other parts of Ciudad Juarez.
Gangs such as Los Aztecas, La Empresa, and La Linea, associated with the former Juarez Cartel, are active in western Ciudad Juarez.
On the other hand, rival groups like Gente Nueva, Artistas Asesinos, and Los Mexicles, affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel, operate in the southeastern part of the city.
Reactions
The disappearances have left lasting scars on Ciudad Juarez, laying bare instances of government corruption.
However, they have also catalyzed the formation of numerous civil groups committed to safeguarding migrants, advocating for women’s rights, and searching for missing individuals. These civic organizations have emerged as some of the most prominent in Mexico.
Born out of a sense of desperation and outrage, many of these groups consist of family members, neighbors, and friends of those who have been abducted or killed.
Sources: El Diario (main source); Government website
Supporting sources: Proceso; Mujeres en red; Mother Jones