June 12, 2026
Hundreds of relatives with loved ones among Mexico's near-135,000 missing people marched in Mexico City on Thursday, using the inauguration of the FIFA World Cup to rally support and call out what they described as a lack of government action.
Protesters from grassroots organizations known as "madres buscadoras" (mothers who search) bused into the capital from several other states late on Wednesday to take part in a candle-lit vigil and a larger march on the Mexico City Stadium ahead of kickoff.
Hector Aguila, 59, who organizes Jalisco-based searchers' group Luz de Esperanza (Light of Hope) and has been looking for his son since 2023, said families were being re-victimized by long, fruitless bureaucratic processes.
"We're not against the World Cup, we're not against people coming here to enjoy the party," he said outside a massive fan party in the main square. "We are against that they invest so many millions of pesos in this while we are left in oblivion."
