Tijuana’s síndica procuradora Teresita Balderas Beltrán went live on Facebook on Wednesday to dispute claims that police widows are behind a planned protest at City Hall scheduled for June 9. Balderas said the widows themselves told her they had no knowledge of the demonstration and did not authorize anyone to speak on their behalf.
The protest call came from the Association of Retired Tijuana Police, which said it was organizing the event at the Palacio Municipal on behalf of widows of fallen officers. Balderas said she met with the widows that same morning, and they denied any involvement in the planned action.
City Details Current Benefits for Widows
According to the municipal government, 77 police widows currently receive monthly payments totaling 568,953.50 pesos (roughly $31,600 USD) under Special Technical Standard No. 4, a local regulation governing survivor benefits. That works out to an average of about 7,389 pesos ($410 USD) per widow per month.
The city also reported that 54 of the 77 widows are already enrolled in health coverage through ISSSTECALI, the state social security institute for public employees in Baja California. Another 20 are in the process of being enrolled.
A Dispute With Deep Roots
The conflict between Tijuana’s municipal government and retired police advocacy groups is not new. In April 2024, widows of officers killed in the line of duty publicly demanded that the city restart medical benefits it had halted at the start of that year. At the time, families said the city stopped paying for doctors’ visits and hospitalizations for 15 families.
Balderas did not name specific individuals within the Association of Retired Tijuana Police or explain what the group’s motivations might be. Her central message was clear: the widows receiving city benefits are not the ones calling for a demonstration.
Potential Downtown Disruption on June 9
Whether or not the protest goes ahead on June 9, it is planned for the Palacio Municipal in downtown Tijuana. Anyone traveling near the city government building that day should be aware of possible crowds and traffic disruptions in the area. The Palacio Municipal sits along Avenida México, a few blocks south of the pedestrian border crossing at PedWest.
The story was first reported by Punto Norte.