Mexico City, August 5, 2026 – The Mexico City government, under the leadership of Mayor Clara Brugada, has unveiled a comprehensive strategy aimed at bolstering efforts to combat the crime of property dispossession. This initiative encompasses a mass property regularization program, the establishment of a specialized Legal Defense for Property, revised timelines for property restitution, and measures to tackle criminal networks and corruption.
Key Pillars of the New Strategy
Among the prominent measures is the launch of a permanent program for property regularization, deed registration, notarial recording, and succession. This program seeks to provide legal certainty to families and prevent illegal appropriations or fraudulent activities related to real estate.
A crucial component is the creation of the Legal Defense of Property and against Dispossession. This entity will offer free legal advice and personalized attention. Operating permanently, a team of lawyers will also provide weekly guidance in the Zócalo, and for vulnerable populations, they will assume legal representation.
Expedited Legal Processes and Coordinated Response
The Attorney General’s Office of Mexico City will implement new, accelerated timelines for handling these crimes: 15 days for securing and restituting a property, and 30 days for judicializing cases, provided there is legal certainty regarding ownership.
Mayor Brugada further announced the establishment of a unified protocol for responding to dispossession reports via the 911 emergency line. This protocol will involve coordination among the Citizen Security Secretariat, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Cabinet against Dispossession, ensuring an immediate response to incidents.
Combating Criminal Networks and Corruption
The strategy also includes strengthening investigations into criminal groups involved in dispossession through the analysis of criminal patterns. Additionally, a specialized unit will be created within the Judiciary to reduce case processing times.
The capital’s Comptroller’s Office will form a special team for internal control, auditing, and honesty. This team will investigate and sanction potential acts of corruption by public servants linked to this crime.
Prevention Campaigns and Public Awareness
Finally, the city government will launch a prevention campaign offering recommendations to protect property. These include maintaining proper property documentation, activating the real estate alert service of the Public Property Registry, regularizing inherited assets, formalizing rental or loan agreements, and immediately reporting any illegal occupation attempts by calling 911 or 55 53 45 81 20.
Incidence and Geographic Distribution of Dispossession Cases
Bertha Alcalde Luján, the Attorney General of Mexico City, stated that the daily average of dispossession complaints has remained stable over the past decade, with nine to ten cases reported daily. She therefore ruled out an increase in the incidence of this crime.
She clarified that registered complaints do not exclusively pertain to dispossession cases involving invasion or legal simulation. They also include conflicts that do not constitute this specific crime, such as non-payment of rent, breach of contract, disputes among heirs or co-owners, evictions, trespassing, and theft.
By borough, Cuauhtémoc, Benito Juárez, Venustiano Carranza, Xochimilco, and Iztacalco record the highest incidence of dispossession complaints. In contrast, Álvaro Obregón, Iztapalapa, Cuajimalpa, and La Magdalena Contreras show the lowest levels.
Results of the Cabinet Against Dispossession
The Attorney General detailed that since the creation of the Cabinet against Dispossession, 1,032 cases have been analyzed. Of these, 644 were dismissed as not being dispossession cases, while 388 were identified as potential instances of the crime. As a result, 185 property restitutions have been completed, 84 properties have been secured, and 48 additional actions have been taken to combat this criminal behavior.
Community Engagement and Judicial Reforms
César Cravioto, the Secretary of Government of Mexico City, announced that the capital administration will enhance information gathering to timely and specifically address areas with higher incidence. This will be achieved through citizen assemblies organized by the Government Secretariat in coordination with the Citizen Security Secretariat and the Secretariat of Attention and Citizen Participation, as well as through continuous monitoring of social media and citizen reports.
Meanwhile, Rafael Guerra Álvarez, President of the Superior Court of Justice of Mexico City, presented five actions to strengthen the fight against dispossession and protect real estate assets within the Judiciary.
These measures include the creation of a Specialized Unit for the attention of dispossession crimes, comprising 20 judges, committed to resolving cases within the timelines established by the National Code of Criminal Procedures.
He also proposed establishing an institutional registry of judicial proceedings related to affected real estate; a reception area for eviction orders and judicial petitions; an early warning unit to detect simulated judicial proceedings linked to real estate, including those arising from requests from judges in other entities; and a specialized area to preventively identify the simulation of agreements registered before the Alternative Justice Center.
Source: sprinforma.mx
