Bacalar, Quintana Roo — Mennonite communities settled in the Yucatán Peninsula are facing criminal proceedings and potential eviction after allegedly devastating thousands of hectares of jungle. The Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) announced it is preparing to file seven criminal complaints against these communities for unauthorized land-use changes across Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo—specifically, clearing forests to create farmland without proper permits.
Legal Action Underway
The Subprosecutor’s Offices for Natural Resources and Environmental Litigation, along with the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Environmental Crimes (FEIDA) of the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), have already filed two criminal complaints under Article 418 of the Federal Penal Code. Five more are in progress, according to environmental authorities.
The initial complaints, filed on July 1 of this year, cite illegal activities such as unauthorized land-use changes in forested areas within the municipalities of Calakmul, Campeche, and Tekax, Yucatán.
Two additional legal proceedings are being prepared for similar violations in Quintana Roo, specifically in the municipalities of Othón P. Blanco and José María Morelos, where illegal deforestation activities were previously shut down.
Profepa asserts that these complaints are solidly supported by evidence from each of the closed-off properties, stemming from unauthorized clearings covering more than 2,608.9 hectares as of June. All affected lands are located in areas experiencing expansion by Mennonite populations.
Operations and Affected Areas
Six special operations were conducted: two in Calakmul and Hopelchén, Campeche; two in Tekax, Yucatán; and two in José María Morelos and Othón P. Blanco, Quintana Roo. Seven properties were shut down—two in Campeche, two in Yucatán, and three in Quintana Roo—with affected areas totaling 702 hectares in Campeche, 606 in Yucatán, and 1,300 in Quintana Roo.
Additionally, Óscar Rébora, Secretary of the Environment for the state government, confirmed that authorities are collaborating with Profepa on further complaints and potential evictions of Mennonites in Bacalar.
Restoration Challenges
“We are developing a strategy to evict them and restore these lands. Experts have informed us that many of the pesticides they use are highly aggressive on the soil, so we must assess how much can be restored,” Rébora stated.
He explained that since the previous federal administration, a working group involving all three levels of government has been addressing Mennonite-related issues. The first action was securing one of the affected properties, which has since been officially sealed.
In Quintana Roo, illegal deforestation is being addressed in José María Morelos, Othón P. Blanco, and Bacalar.
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