Baja California legislator Michel Sánchez Allende won approval for a formal legislative request demanding that state officials report on progress toward building the Universidad Nacional Rosario Castellanos in western Mexicali. The measure calls on the state Secretaries of Finance and Education to provide details on budget management, institutional coordination, and planned academic programs.
Governor Marina del Pilar Avila Olmeda previously announced 80 million pesos (roughly $4 million USD) in state backing for the university. Lawmakers now want to know how that money is being managed and what concrete steps have been taken toward opening the school.
Targeting Western Mexicali’s Education Gap
The planned campus would serve the western side of Baja California’s capital, an area that legislators describe as one of the city’s most historically underserved zones. Western Mexicali has long lacked higher education options compared to the central and eastern parts of the city, where the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC) and other institutions operate established campuses.
The Universidad Nacional Rosario Castellanos is a federal university system launched under Mexico’s current national education expansion. The Mexicali campus would be the first branch in Baja California, aligning with priorities set by President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration to extend free public university access to underserved regions across the country.
Lawmakers Push for Transparency
Sánchez Allende framed the legislative request as an accountability measure. The formal call, known as an “exhorto,” does not legally compel the executive branch to respond, but it places public pressure on state agencies to disclose timelines and spending details.
The legislature wants specific answers on three fronts: how the 80 million peso allocation is being spent, how state and federal agencies are coordinating on the project, and what academic programs the university will offer when it opens. No official opening date has been announced.
Mexicali, home to roughly 854,000 residents, sits directly across the border from Calexico, California. The city already hosts UABC, the Centro de Enseñanza Técnica y Superior (CETYS), and several technical colleges, but demand for affordable higher education continues to outpace available seats.
This story was first reported by Jornada BC.