Officials Urge Census of Homeless Population Amid Possible Human Trafficking Ring in Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — The rescue of a homeless woman who walked into the new municipal palace seeking help has uncovered a possible human trafficking ring, according to local officials.

Councilwoman Angelina Rodriguez Medina, who heads the Commission for Family Development and Vulnerable Groups, said the Specialized Group for Attention to Family and Gender Violence (GEAVIG) has documented other cases of homeless individuals being brought from Puerto Morelos and Cancun to beg in Playa del Carmen.

Rodriguez stressed the urgent need for a census to determine the number of homeless people in the city.

The woman, who said she was from the state of Aguascalientes, was taken to the DIF (family welfare agency) facilities on Monday for support and medical attention after she was found with a fractured hand.

She was later transferred to Puerto Morelos after authorities detected inconsistencies in her story — she claimed to have arrived by plane and then by bus, and said she had a daughter in Canada — leading officials to believe she may have family support in the neighboring municipality.

Rodriguez acknowledged that there is no protocol to determine whether a trafficking network is involved. While there are contingency protocols to safeguard the lives of homeless individuals, there is no procedure to identify if they are being exploited.

She reiterated the need for a census involving multiple agencies, not just DIF but also the Migrant Assistance Unit, to create a protocol and even a regulation.