Residents of San Quintín and surrounding communities lined the roadside on June 19 to confront President Claudia Sheinbaum during her return visit to the agricultural municipality, demanding electricity, potable water, road improvements, and land title regularization.
One resident told reporters she has lived without electricity for 20 years, relying on candles and a single solar panel that cost her 17,000 pesos (about $850 USD). Teachers on a national strike also demonstrated at the event, calling for the repeal of the 2007 ISSSTE (the federal employees’ social security institute) pension law. Some chanted “Claudia, you lied” as the presidential motorcade arrived.
Second Visit in Five Months
The visit was Sheinbaum’s second trip to San Quintín in 2026. She first came on January 31 to present the Plan de Justicia para los Trabajadores Agrícolas, a social justice plan for the valley’s farmworkers. During that visit, protesters also surrounded the president, who responded by pledging to station a federal representative in the municipality to oversee government programs.
San Quintín, located about 300 kilometers south of Ensenada on the Transpeninsular Highway, became Baja California’s sixth municipality in 2023. The valley produces over 100,000 tons of berries annually, worth more than $250 million, yet many of its roughly 100,000 residents lack basic services. Migrant farmworkers from southern Mexico make up a large share of the population.
Federal Commitments and Local Frustration
Sheinbaum’s Friday event focused on reviewing progress under the justice plan. She announced that beneficiaries would receive funds through Banco del Bienestar, the government’s social bank, and could decide how to spend the money, including on home improvements. She also referenced programs for land regularization and said children ages zero to four would receive a new support payment, though she did not provide details.
The president’s three-day Baja California tour also includes stops in Tijuana and Mexicali. During her January visit, Sheinbaum publicly scolded members of her own Morena party for prioritizing selfies over addressing problems like child labor and pesticide exposure in the fields.
Unresolved frustrations over the expired vehicle regularization decree for so-called “chocolate” cars, used foreign vehicles imported without full customs clearance, also surfaced among protesters. The decree lapsed in 2024 and has not been renewed, leaving many San Quintín residents without legal title to their vehicles.
Originally reported by Punto Norte and Semanario ZETA.