Elderly Woman’s Health Crisis After Isla Mujeres Property Seizure

Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo — A wave of indignation is sweeping through the island community over the plight of the Garrido couple, a case that exposes what residents describe as the coldest face of local power. The situation represents a blow to dignity and life itself.

On August 5, municipal officials abruptly shuttered the historic business El Felipez without prior notice. The establishment was the sole source of income for 73-year-old Jesús Garrido and his wife, Telma, who suffers from diabetes and has undergone the amputation of one leg. The enforcement action was carried out by personnel from Civil Protection, Urban Development, and Fiscalization departments, alongside the director of the federal maritime zone, Dayana Perez Medina, and inspector Julio Emilio Santiago Martínez.

The closure of the business left the couple without income and caused Doña Telma's health to gravely deteriorate due to the ensuing anguish and lack of resources for her medical treatment. She is currently hospitalized and reported to be in delicate condition.

Neighbors assert that the closure not only lacks legal justification but is also rooted in old political grudges. Jesús Garrido is identified as a recognized founder of the MORENA political party, while Alicia Ricalde, who is linked to the PAN party and is an influential figure in the current administration, is said to have a history of confrontations with him. Within the community, the presence of the Ricalde family in positions of power is seen as smelling of a settling of scores that now threatens the life of an elderly woman.

Witnesses have denounced acts of arrogance and the violation of basic rights during the closure. There is a growing fear that the shuttering of El Felipez conceals an intention to appropriate its federal concession, allegedly for the benefit of relatives of the Ricalde family. The business is considered more than a simple commercial location; it is part of the collective memory of Isla Mujeres. Its forced closure is perceived by many as a dispossession of both identity and patrimony.

Civic organizations and neighbors are demanding the municipal president and the town council intervene immediately to reopen the business, sanction the involved officials, and guarantee medical care for Doña Telma. They are also calling on the State Human Rights Commission, the Government of Quintana Roo, and the Attorney General's Office to investigate the case.

The community summarizes its anger with a stark statement: “We cannot allow political power to be used to dispossess our elderly. Doña Telma’s life is at stake and the entire island demands justice.”