Families of Missing Persons Request Meeting with President Sheinbaum After Release of Disappearances Data

ByJessica Xantomila and Jared Laureles

This article by Jessica Xantomila and Jared Laureles originally appeared in the March 28, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

Mexico City. Movements and platforms of families of missing persons, which bring together more than 200 groups, reiterated their call to hold a meeting with President Claudia Sheinbaum, after expressing their concern about an update to the figures of the National Registry “that prioritizes administrative management over the reality of families on the ground.”

According to information presented yesterday by the federal government, of the 132,534 cases reported in the country, 46,742 have insufficient data for the search and 43,128 appear without a record of activity or administrative procedure after their disappearance.

In response, in a statement released today, the Movement for Our Disappeared in Mexico (MNDM), the Contingent against the Disappearances of LGBTTTIQ+ people, the National Search Union and Network, and the RIAPD demanded broad access to information.

“Transparency and full access to information for families must be guaranteed, particularly regarding the methodology and monitoring of the RNPDNO and the National Database of Investigation Files, as well as all processes related to the search, investigation and identification,” they stated.

Furthermore, a comprehensive search must be conducted. “The State must guarantee that every person is searched for with due diligence, regardless of their administrative or criminal status.”

They lamented that despite the rhetoric of closeness with the authorities, “we observe with concern that they continue to make decisions without broad and participatory consultation with families and platforms, even though last year we promoted a dialogue with the Ministry of the Interior to establish a broad agenda for the search, investigation, identification and restitution of our loved ones.”

In this regard, they also noted that they have been requesting a meeting with President Sheinbaum since October 2024. “We are still waiting for a response,” they emphasized.

The platforms and family movements insisted that it is worrying that the methodology used to review the national registry has not been detailed.

“Using purely bureaucratic criteria to assess the crisis risks minimizing the true extent of the crime. A database based primarily on criminal complaints ignores the reality of prosecutors’ offices in Mexico, as well as the underreporting resulting from distrust of institutions and the lack of safe conditions for reporting. The number of case files (3,869) does not equate to the number of missing persons, and therefore should not be used to minimize the magnitude of disappearances in Mexico,” they stated.

Regarding the 46,742 records marked as “without information”, they pointed out that it is the responsibility of the authorities to ensure that each report has complete and necessary information for the search.

“Classifying these cases under this category is a failure of the State to fulfill its responsibility to monitor cases with the participation of families. The lack of data in a registry is a reflection of institutional inaction, not a justification for ceasing the search,” they pointed out.

In the document, they also emphasized that shortcomings persist in the implementation of the General Law since 2017, “which are now compounded by the outstanding issues arising from the recent reform. State policy on disappearances cannot be built on opacity.”