Baja California ranked among seven Mexican states that together accounted for half of the country’s intentional homicides in March 2026, according to data from the National Public Security Executive Secretariat (SESNSP). The monthly report was presented on April 14 during the federal government’s morning press conference.
The SESNSP report did not provide a state-by-state breakdown of exact figures for Baja California. It did, however, single out the state as one of the seven with the highest incidence of intentional killings during the month.
Guerrero Saw Sharpest Monthly Spike
Among the seven states, Guerrero recorded the most dramatic month-over-month increase. Homicide victims in that southern state jumped from 52 in February to 101 in March, a 94.2% spike. The identities of the other five states in the top-seven group were not specified in the available reporting.
Baja California’s inclusion on the list follows a pattern. In March 2025, a similar SESNSP report found that six states held nearly half of all national homicides, and Baja California appeared on that list as well. The state’s border cities, particularly Tijuana, have consistently posted some of the highest raw homicide totals in the country for years. Tijuana alone recorded roughly 1,800 homicides in 2023.
Local Officials Have Touted Improvements
The federal data arrives at a politically awkward moment. State and local officials in Baja California have recently pointed to security improvements at public forums. Baja California Sur hosted a safety forum in recent weeks where authorities promoted declining crime metrics on the southern peninsula.
The SESNSP compiles its monthly data from reports submitted by state attorneys general offices across Mexico’s 32 states. The secretariat tracks intentional homicides, femicides, kidnappings, extortion, and other high-impact crimes. Its reports are the most widely cited official measure of lethal violence in the country.
Baja California has a population of roughly 3.8 million people, concentrated in Tijuana, Mexicali, Ensenada, Rosarito, and Tecate. The state’s location on the U.S. border makes it a contested corridor for drug trafficking organizations, a factor that drives much of the violence.
The full March 2026 SESNSP report is expected to be published on the federal security secretariat’s website. This story is based on reporting by Zeta Tijuana.