Cancún, Quintana Roo — The Municipal Institute Against Addictions (IMCA) has repatriated three foreign nationals who were living on the streets, while 15 others remain in rehabilitation programs, officials said Thursday.
IMCA Director Alberto Ortuño said the repatriated individuals included a French woman and two U.S. citizens, all sent back to their home countries with assistance from consulates and family members. “Yesterday a French woman returned home … we have sent back a couple of Americans, and we have several foreigners here whose paperwork we are processing for repatriation,” Ortuño said.
The institute is currently treating citizens from France, the United States, Portugal, Canada, and Cuba. Each case requires different procedures due to varying consular protocols.
Ortuño emphasized that all admissions to treatment centers are voluntary, as authorities cannot legally force anyone into rehabilitation. If individuals lack identification documents, IMCA helps them recover those documents to advance their regularization process.
Outreach operations are not limited to Cancún’s hotel zone but occur throughout the city, where personnel try to persuade people living on the streets with addiction problems to accept help. Currently, the municipal shelter houses 41 people, though the number fluctuates as some are transferred to specialized centers or reunite with family support networks.
The program is sustained through municipal funds, corporate donations, agreements with the Food Bank and supermarkets, and an upcoming campaign to raise support from the private sector and civil society.
