Rafael Martínez Ruiz Named New Head of Mexico’s Migration Institute in Quintana Roo

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Rafael Martínez Ruiz has been appointed as the new head of Mexico’s National Migration Institute (INM) in Quintana Roo, ending a period in which the state office was run by an interim administrator.

The Interior Ministry (Segob) formalized the appointment on Friday, following the departure of Rear Admiral Carlos Manuel Bandala González, who left the post on August 19.

Martínez Ruiz brings experience in security, law enforcement and criminal law. In Quintana Roo, he served as secretary of security and citizen protection for Tulum under then-mayor Marciano Dzul Caamal between October 2022 and March 2023.

He later joined the State Prosecutor’s Office, where he headed the specialized unit for combating vehicle and transport theft. In 2019, he directed the internal inspection division of the Prosecutor’s Office for Control, Analysis and Evaluation in Chihuahua.

The new official holds a master’s degree in criminal procedural law and has specialized training in security and justice, including courses taught at Quantico, Virginia, by the Mexican Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (MexLEEDS), a program under the FBI.

He also earned a diploma in human trafficking from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), along with certification as a criminal justice operator in that field.

A native of Chiapas, where he also worked in law enforcement, Martínez Ruiz arrives at the INM with prior experience in Quintana Roo and in security and oversight institutions.