Squatting on private property is one of Mexico’s favorite sports, it seems.
The Secretary General of the Government of Baja California Sur, Saul Gonzalez, reported in an interview that several investigation files have already been opened in relation to land invasions in both San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas. These actions are the result of complaints filed by the legitimate owners of the affected properties.
"Files have been opened against anyone who initiates an invasion, in order to have a legal framework and be able to take immediate action against them. We remain vigilant, we cannot let our guard down, since invasions, as many know, in Los Cabos occur at any time, so we must be vigilant," González Núñez stressed.
One of the most significant cases is the invasion in the Chulavista area , where around 15 thousand families currently live on land belonging to Banorte. González stressed that this problem must be addressed by our new incoming mayor, Christian Agúndez. The Secretary General concluded by assuring that the authorities will remain vigilant to prevent further invasions in the region, taking strong measures against those who promote or participate in this type of illegal action.
In the 1990s and 2000s, Los Cabos experienced a phenomenon of invasions on private land and in streams, which revealed the housing crisis caused by unprecedented growth in Baja California Sur. Although there had been no record of any illegal settlement attempts for more than 10 years, in recent weeks it has been documented that the invasions have returned to San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas. Another one of the cases was reported near the airport at Puerto Nuevo, where around 100 people arrived to settle on a piece of land.
Using wire and sticks, they began an attempt to divide the land into lots and set up organized guards day and night to prevent eviction by the authorities. Although the presence of Public Security units was observed, the invaders remained in place, according to neighbors in the area. Days later, the Security Board recorded another invasion of communal lands located near the Chulavista subdivision in Cabo San Lucas.
Another group of approximately 35 people arrived at the property belonging to the Ejido of Cabo San Lucas, which is located on Nicolás Tamaral Street. “This morning we woke up to an attempted invasion of property owned by Ejido CSL in the Avenida Tamaral area; we acted in accordance with the protocol of the Baja California Sur State Security Board,” reported Karen Zumaya, legal representative of the ejido, on August the 17th.
The leader stressed that they have proven to have documentation that supports them as legitimate owners, such as public deeds. "We explained to the people and warned them that we would proceed to hand them over to the authorities if they continued to occupy private property, committing the crime of dispossession and invasion," she said. They say they have identified the leader of this attempt at illegal settlement and urged people not to fall for promises that cannot be kept.
Following these reports, the Baja California Sur Security Committee arrived on the site and shortly thereafter, it was confirmed that the invaders from Chulavista and Puerto Nuevo had been evicted. The owners of these properties emphasize that there is no guarantee that this will not happen again.
For his part, the mayor regretted the situation, assuring that the leaders of these invasions are already being investigated.
“At the time it was presented, the General Directorate of Public Security was present to stop the invasion; however, it is an invasion well-orchestrated by corrupt leaders and an investigation is already underway,” said our mayor. "The owners of those stretches of land have been asked to file a complaint for those spaces, the ejido has already done the same. It already has people watching the area to prevent them from appropriating what is not theirs," he added.
It is worth mentioning that Los Cabos is the municipality with the highest number of people living in irregular settlements in Baja California Sur, largely due to the invasions that were reported in the 1990s and in 2000, according to state authorities.
According to the Undersecretary of Civil Protection, it is estimated that there are 68 thousand people living in high-risk areas in the state: 45 thousand in Los Cabos, 8,500 in Mulegé, 6,000 in La Paz, 5,000 in Loreto; and 3,000 in Comondú. González warned that they will apply the law without exception and that there will be zero tolerance for any attempt at invasion, whether in Los Cabos or in the rest of Baja California Sur.
Invasion of another's property is a crime of dispossession that is punishable by jail, which does not take into consideration the excuse that they had nowhere to live, the rents are expensive, or they cannot afford to buy their own property. “There will be zero tolerance for invasions in Los Cabos,” Mayor Agundez stated.
“In past administrations, what the government did was acquire land and reassign those who lived in irregular invasion zones so that they would move out of the risk zone; however, it was a vicious circle since some go to one and others enter. It is an endless chain, but currently the authority is enforcing the law,” said Guadalupe Higuera, general secretary of municipal government in Los Cabos.
