A crisis of forced disappearances

As visitors come to Mexico for the 2026 World Cup, Mexican advocates hope the tournament will not only provide economic benefits but also bring more international attention to families searching for loved ones. Finley Monaghan-Mc Grath writes.

* CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses kidnapping, violence and organized crime

MARTA LETICIA GARCIA CRUZ, affectionately named Marlety by her son César Ulises Quintero García, lives in a nightmare shared by tens of thousands of Mexican families.

Marlety told meA.:

“César left home in 2017 and I am still waiting for him.”

When he got home, he would turn off the garage light and shout: “I’m home mom!”and I can say this:

“Okay, turn off the light and lock it tight.”

He cried:

“The garage light is still on because one day he’ll come home… he’ll turn that garage light off and say, ‘I’m home, mom.'”

Marlety’s family is from the Mexican state of Jalisco. country’s highest disappearance rate More than once since 2019 16,000 officially registered cases. capital, GuadalajaraIt will start hosting matches in June. 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Most of these disappearances are not voluntary. These are the results of cartel-led kidnapping circuits. report from Inter-American Commission on Human Rights found that state actors were involved in an incidentworrying‘ rate – for expand narco controlled territory and business operations.

More than 130,000 people lost throughout mexico in total.

Impunity rate for violent crimes in Mexico about 95 percentThis ultimately means that these networks operate largely without fear of consequences.

Amid gaps in corporate search effortsFamily members like Marlety formed search collectives that uncovered graves, documented evidence and demanded justice for their losses. At least since 2010 27 members Many of these grassroots search collectives were killed, and many of them were mothers.

These search parties have found nearly 500 bags containing human remains at four different burial sites over the past year. 20 kilometers discovered From Akron Stadium, which will soon host four World Cup matches.

Marlety believes the international attention surrounding the World Cup may present a rare opportunity to draw attention to the crisis.

But for permanent change to occur, Anna Carolina Chimiakformer co-director Centro de Justicia para la Paz and Desarrollo (CEPAD), talking to meA.He explained that political priorities must change as state and federal governments pour funding into event preparations:

“This pattern reflects the broader trend of prioritizing not only image but also economic interests over justice and victim protection.”

Disappearances as a weapon of power

Guadalajara is the country’s second largest city and a hub for technology companies, foreign investments and wealthy expats.

The state is also home to one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations: the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is known for its military hierarchy, extreme violence, and global reach.

Alejandra Guillén Gonzáleza professor ITESO, Universidad Jesuita de Guadalajaraexplained the reach of these groups:

“Currently the interconnection of legal and illegal economic power two sides of the same coin. “This is where the real obstacle lies.”

Guillén González further explained this phenomenon of economic power and forced disappearance, describing it as follows:

“A strategy of violence that allows for territorial control and with it control of all types of businesses.”

Although there are many reasons behind cartel kidnappings, Lauro RodríguezThe Jalisco-based investigative journalist explained that forced recruitment is one of the most common methods.A.:

“Compulsory military service is currently one of the factors affecting the disappearance of young people and adolescents, especially those aged 15 to 19. We noticed that these people were taken with fake job offers or promises of making a lot of money by joining criminal organizations.”

He claims that these people were then taken to educational homes or camps in rural areas:

“They are beaten, they are forced to commit crimes, they are forced to watch other people being killed, they are forced to use guns, all for the purpose of being recruited.”

Although the cartels were responsible for most of the losses, Rodríguez claimed that security forces were also complicit:

“In 2018, Tecalitlán police [municipality in Jalisco] “They lost three Italian citizens and handed them over to organized crime.”

Accordingly Washington Post, More than 300 officials since 2018 He is suspected of being involved in kidnapping networks.

President of Mexico Claudia SheinbaumHis government denied that the state was involved in systematic cycles of loss at any level.

Domestic-foreign relations joint press release stated:

‘We reaffirm this government’s absolute determination to eliminate enforced disappearances, strengthen search and identification efforts, and guarantee truth and justice for victims and their families.’

Underfunded institutions

Jalisco-based criminal lawyer Joseph Oid believes Mexico’s executive branch is structurally ill-equipped to investigate the growing number of open cases.

Because executive powers are divided between federal and state authorities, Mexican law states that cases directly linked to organized crime must fall under federal jurisdiction, but in practice they often do not.

Oid said:

“Overlapping jurisdictions complicate investigations. Federal prosecutors do not want to work on these cases.”

That leaves thousands of cases to state departments with limited resources and a lack of coordination with their federal counterparts, he says.

The judicial system is also at breaking point. Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) throughout Mexico report allegations There are more than 70,000 unidentified bodies in state custody.

Official records show from 2018 to 2026Authorities processed 242 clandestine grave sites in Jalisco, resulting in 2,128 bodies.

While Marlety participated in the searches with his team, Entre Cielo y Tierra OficialHe has first-hand experience of how difficult it is to identify these bodies:

“Here in Jalisco they leave them dismembered, sometimes up to 22 pieces. When we search the field we find bags with only heads, legs or hands.”

Teuchitlán: The cost of inaction

The consequences of this judicial paralysis and lack of resources were announced to the world public. March 2025when a civilian search party uncovers a farm TeuchitlanTwo hours from Guadalajara, it is suspected of serving as a CJNG training and destruction area.

Remarks Bone fragments, bullet casings, hidden ovens and piles of personal belongings spread rapidly on social media and international channels.

The property has been under state protection ever since. September 2024However, no police officers or site security were there when the collective arrived following an anonymous tip. State prosecutor Salvador González requested There was no evidence of organized criminal activity, but the discoveries told another story.

State and federal prosecutors as global outrage grows we blamed each otherthe first condemns the state for failing to police the site, and the second criticizes the federal government for neglecting jurisdiction over organized crime.

In April 2026, a group of volunteers unhappy with the investigation process returned to conduct another search. They found another part of the property that had not been surveyed. septic tank filled with human teeth and bone fragments.

The crisis underlying World Cup spending

While the exact amount earmarked for World Cup-related upgrades remains unclear, the mayor of Guadalajara confirmed the $MXN.2.2 billion pesos For the city alone, there will be investment in public works and infrastructure projects in 2026 (approximately AUD 178 million).

In comparison, 2026 Expenditure Budget The report released by the state of Jalisco shows that the total amount the government spent on all search-related operations across the state was just over MXN$2.2 billion (roughly AUD$179 million).

In addition, Jalisco made public four contracts that did not cover any infrastructure projects related to World Cup preparations.

These contracts total of 339 million pesos (approximately AU$27 million), the majority of which spent on FIFA Fan Festival Guadalajara 2026.

Key institutional organizations such as the province’s Search Commission received MXN$105 million to operate annually, the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Missing Persons received MXN$145 million, and the Secretariat of Intelligence and Search received MXN$101 million.

In total, this figure reaches approximately 28 million Australian dollars.

Rodríguez claimed that this allocation of financial funds is clear evidence that the authorities are ignoring the crisis:

“This is a complete contradiction, because we are talking about thousands of millions of pesos. Imagine what can be done with this amount to find a solution to this crisis.”

The World Cup goes beyond sports and is considered the world’s game for a reason.

As visitors come to Mexico, Marlety and other advocates hope the tournament will not only provide economic benefits but also bring more international attention to families searching through dirt, trash and rubble to find their loved ones.

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Disclaimer: The majority of quotes in the article are in Spanish and have been translated.