Members of the “Soy papá, no criminal” (I’m a dad, not a criminal) collective marched through Tijuana on Friday, April 25, to demand equal treatment for fathers in custody and family court proceedings. The demonstration began at the Monumento a México, commonly known as “Las Tijeras,” in the Zona Río district.
From the starting point, marchers walked to Tijuana City Hall to deliver a formal petition to the office of Mayor Ismael Burgueño Ruiz. They then continued to the Fiscalía General del Estado (FGE, the state attorney general’s office). Participants argued that men face systemic disadvantages in family law cases, particularly when seeking custody of their children.
Part of a Nationwide Movement
The Tijuana march was part of a coordinated national effort organized by the “Cromosoma Y 23” movement. According to participants, the collective has an international presence and is led by a Mexican organizer known as Alex. Simultaneous demonstrations took place in other Mexican cities on the same day.
Organizers stressed that their movement does not target women. Instead, they called for equal conditions in how courts handle family disputes. Their core complaint centers on what they describe as a legal system that defaults to granting custody and legal advantages to mothers.
Route Passed Through Zona Río Civic Corridor
The march route ran through the Zona Río civic corridor, one of Tijuana’s main government and business districts. The area around Las Tijeras, City Hall, and the FGE offices saw localized street disruptions during Friday morning hours. Zona Río sits roughly two miles south of the San Ysidro border crossing.
Mexico’s family courts generally operate under a legal framework that grants mothers preferential custody of young children, though reforms in recent years have moved toward shared custody in several states. Baja California updated portions of its civil code in 2023 to encourage joint parenting arrangements, but advocacy groups say implementation remains uneven.
The march and its details were first reported by Zeta Tijuana and Blanco y Negro Noticias.