Why Are Protesters in Mexico City Angry at Remote Workers?
'Gringo, go home!' 'Speak Spanish or Die!' 'Gentrification is colonization!'
In the protest, which took place on Friday, gathering spots for remote workers were ransacked. That drew a condemnation from Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, on Monday morning.
But Ms. Sheinbaum also acknowledged the demonstrators' concerns, and how tempers are flaring in Mexico City, North America's largest metropolis, around the arrival of thousands of relatively well-off foreigners, especially from the United States. Many longtime residents are fuming over rising rents and food prices in parts of the city.
'The playing field is not level,' said Daniela Grave, a resident attending the protest. 'If they make a living in dollars, and don't pay taxes here, we are just in unequal circumstances, Mexicans and foreigners, where those who have salaries in dollars have all the power to exert in this city and that is what should be regulated.'
Tensions over the influx have been building for some time. Foreign remote workers began relocating in large numbers to Mexico City during the coronavirus pandemic, settling largely in central, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods such as Condesa and Roma.
Jarring many longtime residents, these areas have developed into bastions where more English than Spanish is spoken in some sidewalk cafes, and in which co-working spaces, Pilates studios, specialty food stores and clothing boutiques have sprouted, catering to the recent arrivals.
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Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Spanish-language journalist remains in ICE custody despite being granted bond
ATLANTA (AP) — A week after an immigration judge granted him bond, a Spanish-language journalist who was arrested while covering a protest last month remains in federal custody. Police just outside Atlanta arrested Mario Guevara while he was covering a protest on June 14, and he was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement several days later. He was being held at an immigration detention center in Folkston — in southeast Georgia, near the Florida border — when an immigration judge last week granted him bond. But when his family tried to pay the $7,500 bond last week, ICE didn't accept it and he has since been shuffled between three other jails, his lawyer Giovanni Diaz said. 'We are of the opinion that there seems to be a concerted effort between different jurisdictions to keep him detained,' Diaz said. Guevara built a large following Guevara, 47, fled El Salvador two decades ago and drew a loyal audience as a journalist covering immigration in the Atlanta area. He worked for Mundo Hispanico, a Spanish-language newspaper, for years before starting a digital news outlet called MG News. He was livestreaming video on social media from a DeKalb County rally protesting President Donald Trump's administration when local police arrested him. Guevara has been authorized to work and remain in the country, Diaz said. A previous immigration case against him was administratively closed more than a decade ago, and he has a pending green card application sponsored by his adult U.S. citizen son, the lawyer said. After Immigration Judge James Ward granted him bond, Guevara's family tried several times to pay it online but it wouldn't go through, Diaz said. They then went to pay it in person and ICE refused to accept it, he said. 'What we didn't know was what was going on in the background,' Diaz said, explaining that they have since learned that ICE was challenging his release to the Board of Immigration Appeals and asked to put the bond order on hold while that's pending. Moved from jail to jail to jail to jail to jail Another of Guevara's attorneys was then told that he was being transferred to Gwinnett County, in suburban Atlanta, because there were open warrants for his arrest on traffic charges there. He was taken to the Gwinnett jail last Thursday and was released the same day on bond in that case. Because his immigration bond had not been paid, he was taken back into ICE custody at that point, Diaz said. He was taken to Floyd County, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northwest of Atlanta, where the county sheriff's office has an agreement to detain people for ICE. Floyd County Jail records showed that he was in custody there until Monday. Diaz said Guevara was then moved to a federal Bureau of Prisons facility in Atlanta, where he remained on Tuesday. The immigration judge agreed with Guevara's lawyers that the journalist is not a danger to the community, but ICE is arguing he's such a threat that he shouldn't be released, Diaz said. 'We think it's overkill,' the lawyer said. And in what Diaz characterized as a concerning development, Guevara was told while in custody in Gwinnett County that his phone was confiscated under a search warrant. What video of Guevara's arrest shows The video from his arrest shows Guevara wearing a bright red shirt under a protective vest with 'PRESS' printed across his chest. He could be heard telling a police officer, 'I'm a member of the media, officer.' He was standing on a sidewalk with other journalists, with no sign of big crowds or confrontations around him, moments before he was taken away. DeKalb police charged Guevara with unlawful assembly, obstruction of police and being a pedestrian on or along the roadway. His lawyers worked to get him released and he was granted bond in DeKalb, but ICE had put a hold on him and he was held until they came to pick him up. DeKalb County Solicitor-General Donna Coleman-Stribling on June 25 dismissed those charges, saying that while probable cause existed to support the arrest, there wasn't enough evidence to support a prosecution. 'At the time of his arrest, the video evidence shows Mr. Guevara generally in compliance and does not demonstrate the intent to disregard law enforcement directives,' her office said in a news release. Amid outcry over arrest, traffic charges filed Guevara's arrest immediately drew widespread attention and was criticized by press freedom groups, which said he was simply doing his job. On June 20, the Gwinnett sheriff's office said it had secured warrants for Guevara's arrest on charges of distracted driving, failure to obey a traffic control device and reckless driving, saying that, he had 'compromised operational integrity and jeopardized the safety' of victims of a law enforcement case, investigators an Gwinnett residents. An initial incident report says the charges stem from a May 20 incident, which it says was reported June 17 — three days after his arrest at the protest. The narrative section of the report gives no details. Diaz said people charged with traffic violations are usually charged on the spot, and it is very unusual for an officer to swear out a warrant for arrest on such a violation a month later. 'None of this is normal,' Diaz said.
14 hours ago
Mexico's president calls march against mass tourism 'xenophobic'
MEXICO CITY -- A fierce protest in Mexico City railing against gentrification and mass tourism was fueled by government failures and active promotion to attract digital nomads, according to experts, who said tension had been mounting for years. The criticism comes after Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum alleged that Friday's protest was marked by xenophobia, reviving a debate over an influx of Americans in the city. Many Mexicans say they've been priced out of their neighborhoods — in part because of a move made by Sheinbaum in 2022, when she was the Mexico City mayor and signed an agreement with Airbnb and UNESCO to boost tourism and attract digital nomads despite concern over the impact short-term rentals could have. On Friday, that came to a head. A largely peaceful protest of hundreds of demonstrators marched through tourism centers of the city with signs reading 'Gringo: Stop stealing our home' and 'Housing regulations now!' Near the end of the march, a group of protesters turned violent, breaking the windows of storefronts and looting a number of businesses. In one case, a protester slammed a butter knife against the window of a restaurant where people were hiding, and another person painted 'kill a gringo' on a nearby wall. 'The xenophobic displays seen at that protest have to be condemned. No one should be able to say 'any nationality get out of our country' even over a legitimate problem like gentrification,' Sheinbaum said Monday. 'We've always been open, fraternal.' The frustrations were built upon years of mass tourism and rising rent prices in large swathes of the city. The influx of foreigners began around 2020, when Americans flooded into the Mexico City to work remotely, dodge coronavirus restrictions and take advantage of cheaper living costs. In the years since, choice neighborhoods like Roma and Condesa, lush central areas dotted with cafes and markets, have grown increasingly populated by foreign tourists and the remote workers known as digital nomads, and there are more temporary housing units rented through companies like Airbnb that cater to tourists. As they have, rent and living prices have soared and English has been increasingly common on the streets of those areas. Some groups have described the phenomenon as a sort of 'neo-colonialism." The Mexico City Anti-Gentrification Front, one of the organizations behind the protest, it was 'completely against' any acts of physical violence and denied that the protests were xenophobic. Instead, the organization said the protest was a result of years of failures by the local government to address the root of the problems. 'Gentrification isn't just foreigners' fault, it's the fault of the government and these companies that prioritize the money foreigners bring,' the organization said in a statement. Meanwhile 'young people and the working class can't afford to live here.' In its list of demands, the organization called for greater rent controls, mandates that locals have a voice in larger development projects in their area, stricter laws making it harder for landlords to throw out residents and prioritizing Mexican renters over foreigners. Mexico's protest comes on the back of a wave of similar protests across Europe railing against mass tourism. Tensions in Mexico have also been compounded by wider inequalities and the Trump administration targeting Latino communities in the U.S. as it ramps up deportations. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security took a jab at protesters Sunday, writing in a post on the social media platform X: 'If you are in the United States illegally and wish to join the next protest in Mexico City, use the CBP Home app to facilitate your departure.' Protesters' cries against government failures were echoed by experts, who said that surging gentrification is a product of both shortage of affordable housing in the city and longtime government failures to regulate the housing market. Antonio Azuela, lawyer and sociologist and others said that they do see the protest as a xenophobic backlash, and around 2020 the core of the problem was the influx of 'digital nomads' in the city, but it grew out of hand because of lax housing laws. 'What has made this explode is lack of regulation in the market,' Azuela said. Mexico City's government over the course of decades has made a few efforts to control development and create affordable housing. Legislators estimated there are about 2.7 million houses and apartments in the city, but it needs about 800,000 more. But such affordable housing developments that have popped up often are pushed off to the fringes of the city, said Luis Salinas, a researcher at National Autonomous University of Mexico who has studied gentrification in Mexico City for years. Controls, meanwhile, have been marked by lack of enforcement, which developers travel services companies like Airbnb take advantage of, he said. Today, more than 26,000 properties in Mexico City are currently listed on Airbnb, according to the Inside Airbnb, an advocacy organization that tracks the company's impact on residential communities through data. That's compared to 36,000 properties in New York City and 19,000 in Barcelona, where protests have also broken out. 'The government has treated housing like it's merchandise,' Salinas said. The actions the government is taking 'are completely insufficient. The federal government needs to be intervening far more nowadays.' Airbnb said it helped contribute more than a billion dollars in 'economic impact' to Mexico City last year and that spending by guests has supported 46,000 jobs in the city. 'What's needed is regulation based not on prohibitions, but on respect for rights and transparency of obligations," it said in a statement. Last year, Mexico City's government approved the most ambitious rent control law since the 1940s in an effort to control prices and also set caps on short-term rentals to 180 nights a year, but Salinas said that enforcement of short-term rental legislation has been put on pause until after the 2026 FIFA World Cup. And even then, the country's government will have to take far greater actions to get the situation under control, said Azuela. 'This isn't going to end by just reigning in Airbnb,' he said. 'They're going to have to do a whole lot more.'
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mexico's president calls march against mass tourism 'xenophobic.' Critics blame government failures
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A fierce protest in Mexico City railing against gentrification and mass tourism was fueled by government failures and active promotion to attract digital nomads, according to experts, who said tension had been mounting for years. The criticism comes after Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum alleged that Friday's protest was marked by xenophobia, reviving a debate over an influx of Americans in the city. Many Mexicans say they've been priced out of their neighborhoods — in part because of a move made by Sheinbaum in 2022, when she was the Mexico City mayor and signed an agreement with Airbnb and UNESCO to boost tourism and attract digital nomads despite concern over the impact short-term rentals could have. 'Gringo: Stop stealing our home' On Friday, that came to a head. A largely peaceful protest of hundreds of demonstrators marched through tourism centers of the city with signs reading 'Gringo: Stop stealing our home' and 'Housing regulations now!' Near the end of the march, a group of protesters turned violent, breaking the windows of storefronts and looting a number of businesses. In one case, a protester slammed a butter knife against the window of a restaurant where people were hiding, and another person painted 'kill a gringo' on a nearby wall. 'The xenophobic displays seen at that protest have to be condemned. No one should be able to say 'any nationality get out of our country' even over a legitimate problem like gentrification,' Sheinbaum said Monday. 'We've always been open, fraternal.' The frustrations were built upon years of mass tourism and rising rent prices in large swathes of the city. The influx of foreigners began around 2020, when Americans flooded into the Mexico City to work remotely, dodge coronavirus restrictions and take advantage of cheaper living costs. In the years since, choice neighborhoods like Roma and Condesa, lush central areas dotted with cafes and markets, have grown increasingly populated by foreign tourists and the remote workers known as digital nomads, and there are more temporary housing units rented through companies like Airbnb that cater to tourists. As they have, rent and living prices have soared and English has been increasingly common on the streets of those areas. Some groups have described the phenomenon as a sort of 'neo-colonialism." Mounting tensions The Mexico City Anti-Gentrification Front, one of the organizations behind the protest, it was 'completely against' any acts of physical violence and denied that the protests were xenophobic. Instead, the organization said the protest was a result of years of failures by the local government to address the root of the problems. 'Gentrification isn't just foreigners' fault, it's the fault of the government and these companies that prioritize the money foreigners bring,' the organization said in a statement. Meanwhile 'young people and the working class can't afford to live here.' In its list of demands, the organization called for greater rent controls, mandates that locals have a voice in larger development projects in their area, stricter laws making it harder for landlords to throw out residents and prioritizing Mexican renters over foreigners. Mexico's protest comes on the back of a wave of similar protests across Europe railing against mass tourism. Tensions in Mexico have also been compounded by wider inequalities and the Trump administration targeting Latino communities in the U.S. as it ramps up deportations. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security took a jab at protesters Sunday, writing in a post on the social media platform X: 'If you are in the United States illegally and wish to join the next protest in Mexico City, use the CBP Home app to facilitate your departure.' Government failures Protesters' cries against government failures were echoed by experts, who said that surging gentrification is a product of both shortage of affordable housing in the city and longtime government failures to regulate the housing market. Antonio Azuela, lawyer and sociologist and others said that they do see the protest as a xenophobic backlash, and around 2020 the core of the problem was the influx of 'digital nomads' in the city, but it grew out of hand because of lax housing laws. 'What has made this explode is lack of regulation in the market,' Azuela said. Mexico City's government over the course of decades has made a few efforts to control development and create affordable housing. Legislators estimated there are about 2.7 million houses and apartments in the city, but it needs about 800,000 more. But such affordable housing developments that have popped up often are pushed off to the fringes of the city, said Luis Salinas, a researcher at National Autonomous University of Mexico who has studied gentrification in Mexico City for years. Taking advantage of 'insufficient' laws Controls, meanwhile, have been marked by lack of enforcement, which developers travel services companies like Airbnb take advantage of, he said. Today, more than 26,000 properties in Mexico City are currently listed on Airbnb, according to the Inside Airbnb, an advocacy organization that tracks the company's impact on residential communities through data. That's compared to 36,000 properties in New York City and 19,000 in Barcelona, where protests have also broken out. 'The government has treated housing like it's merchandise,' Salinas said. The actions the government is taking 'are completely insufficient. The federal government needs to be intervening far more nowadays.' Airbnb said it helped contribute more than a billion dollars in 'economic impact' to Mexico City last year and that spending by guests has supported 46,000 jobs in the city. 'What's needed is regulation based not on prohibitions, but on respect for rights and transparency of obligations," it said in a statement. Last year, Mexico City's government approved the most ambitious rent control law since the 1940s in an effort to control prices and also set caps on short-term rentals to 180 nights a year, but Salinas said that enforcement of short-term rental legislation has been put on pause until after the 2026 FIFA World Cup. And even then, the country's government will have to take far greater actions to get the situation under control, said Azuela. 'This isn't going to end by just reigning in Airbnb,' he said. 'They're going to have to do a whole lot more.'
