Cancún Street Vendors Demand Right to Work Amid Seizures and Arrests

Cancún, Quintana Roo — For hundreds of families who earn a living selling crafts and other goods on Cancún’s beaches, work has become a constant source of uncertainty. Vendors say they routinely face police operations, product seizures and even arrests that threaten their main source of income.

At a recent assembly of the Federation of Workers’ Organizations of Quintana Roo (FOQROO), the group’s finance secretary, Elvia Antonio Luciano, said about 500 affiliated vendors are affected on a recurring basis.

The union representative said the operations do not stop at confiscating merchandise; some sellers also report having cash, bank cards, cell phones and other personal items taken. She described those actions as a violation of their rights.

In response, FOQROO has expanded legal assistance for vendors, filing injunctions and offering legal defense for those detained during crackdowns. According to Luciano, some vendors have been detained three, five or even seven times without a permanent resolution.

She cited Article 5 of Mexico’s Constitution, which guarantees every person the right to lawful work, and said authorities should set up regulations for the activity rather than treating vendors as offenders.

The organization also bases its position on International Labour Organization Recommendation 204, which promotes moving workers from the informal to the formal economy with rights and social protection — instead of actions that, the group says, directly affect the livelihoods of hundreds of families in Cancún.