Man, 27, Has Lived in Cancún Airport Terminal for Three Weeks

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Cancún International Airport is increasingly becoming a refuge for homeless people who wander through Terminal 2, surprising security officers, passengers and airport workers alike.

Miguel, a 27-year-old man wearing worn shorts and a faded T-shirt, with a grown-out beard and clear signs of neglect, said that he arrived at the terminal three weeks ago because he is waiting for a person.

“I walked here from Polígono Sur, where I was living with an aunt. I came to work, but things didn’t turn out the way I expected,” he said.

He said he will stay at the airport until the person he is waiting for arrives, but he declined to give that person’s name or explain why he is waiting.

Airport security personnel said Miguel and another man, roughly 45 years old, roam the facilities. “It’s clear they are not of sound mind. Still, all we can do is report the situation and keep an eye out to make sure they don’t bother passengers,” one officer said.

Transport workers said they give Miguel a few coins so he can buy food, having watched him walk the terminal for several days. They also mentioned another man who often sits “sunbathing” in the green area between Terminal 2 and the parking lot.

Staff at Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR), the company that operates the airport, said they cannot intervene as long as these people do not break any rules or disturb the public order.

A Repeat of the Laure Case

This is not the first time people have taken up residence in this part of the airport. In 2025, a tourist identified as Laure, 52, spent 12 months in the terminal.

At the time, it was reported that Laure was denied political asylum, while the consulates of France, Belgium and Germany rejected her requests for help. The United States also declined to assist her during her stay in Quintana Roo, saying it could do so only if she reached Mexico City by her own means.

Laure, a US citizen, arrived in Cancún in December 2024 after allegedly fleeing a human-trafficking network in Veracruz. She left the airport in January of this year, apparently of her own accord, and later boarded a bus to the city’s main bus station, where all trace of her was lost. There has been no news of her whereabouts since.

ASUR officials said at the time that they could not intervene as long as she did not engage in conduct that disrupted order or put the safety of travelers, or herself, at risk.