US Tourist Stranded 11 Months at Cancún Airport

Cancún, Mexico — In December, Laure, a woman of French origin, will complete one year at Cancún International Airport. She has provided multiple versions of why she is stranded; however, what is known with certainty is that her passport has expired, a situation that keeps her trapped in the airport facility. And as things stand, it appears she will spend considerably more time at the site.

According to airport workers, Laure’s case is particularly unique, as her behavior reflects a constant state of paranoia. Those who have observed her note that the woman avoids contact with strangers and remains moving around Terminal 2, always alert and cautious in the presence of any person.

Laure has shared two versions about the reason preventing her return to her country. In one, she claims to fear for her life because she would have been a victim of a trafficking network, while in another she asserts that she escaped from her husband, who according to her version, could harm her.

Sometimes she says she is American of French origin, and on other occasions she mentions that she is French and that she lived in the United States.

Although she speaks English fluently, she rarely interacts with people. When someone approaches her, she discreetly moves away and continues her journey around the public area of the terminal.

Security personnel comment that her food depends at times on what other people offer her, including some workers who, when they can, share food with her.

Compared to the first months, she now appears thinner and more withdrawn. The woman who initially seemed intent on resolving her situation and leaving the airport has given way to another more fearful, reserved, and visibly affected by the physical and emotional wear of her prolonged stay.

Despite her evident need for support, she has not yet received the necessary assistance to manage her return to either of the two countries with which she claims to have ties. Her situation remains in a bureaucratic and personal limbo that prolongs her stay without a nearby solution.

Meanwhile, Terminal 2 has become her home, where she sees the same landscape every day, the same benches, the same routine.