Federal and state officials inaugurated a new Centro de Atención Integral para Trabajadores Agrícolas (Comprehensive Services Center for Agricultural Workers) in San Quintín on Thursday, April 10. The facility brings federal agencies, health programs, and social services under one roof for the tens of thousands of farmworkers and their families in the region.
Federal Welfare Secretary Ariadna Montiel Reyes led the ribbon-cutting ceremony alongside Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda. Also present were Leticia Ramírez, coordinator general of intergovernmental affairs for the federal government, and Citlalli Hernández, head of the Secretaría de las Mujeres (Women’s Ministry).
A Plan Born From Door-to-Door Surveys
The center is part of the Plan de Justicia para los Trabajadores Agrícolas de San Quintín (Justice Plan for San Quintín Agricultural Workers), which President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on January 31. Montiel Reyes said the plan’s design drew on a door-to-door survey of 30,000 families in San Quintín, roughly 80,000 people. That survey assessed needs in health, education, housing, social development, labor justice, childcare, domestic violence prevention, and agricultural support.
San Quintín, located about 300 kilometers south of Tijuana along the Transpeninsular Highway, became Baja California’s sixth municipality in 2020. Its agricultural valleys produce tomatoes, strawberries, and other crops for export, relying heavily on migrant labor. Many workers are indigenous Triqui, Mixteco, and Zapoteco families who migrated from Oaxaca and other southern states. For decades, these communities have lacked consistent access to legal protections, healthcare, and government services.
What the Center Will Offer
The new center will house representatives from all federal agencies and allow farmworkers to enroll in government welfare programs on-site. Services will cover labor rights, health, education, and women’s safety. The Baja California Bienestar (Welfare) delegate will coordinate operations at the facility, which officials described as the first of its kind in the municipality.
Governor Ávila Olmeda called the opening a historic moment for a region that has long been overlooked by government institutions. San Quintín’s farmworker population has been at the center of labor rights disputes since at least 2015, when thousands of workers went on strike demanding better wages and working conditions.
The inauguration was first reported by Jornada BC.