About 40 residents of Tecate dressed in black marched silently along Avenida Benito Juárez on Saturday, demanding justice for a string of violent crimes against children in the border municipality in recent weeks.
The group carried white balloons and signs reading “They were taken alive, we want them back alive.” Adults and children walked together from the Monument to the Mother to Parque Miguel Hidalgo, where they released the balloons and posted placards on Tecate’s iconic city-name sign in the main plaza.
A Series of Disturbing Cases
The march was prompted by at least four cases involving minors. On May 30, the body of 16-year-old Jesús Yadiel was found near Valle de las Palmas showing signs of torture. A narco banner was left alongside his remains. On June 4, a 5-year-old boy was strangled and burned inside a suitcase in the Nueva Colonia Hindú neighborhood.
Two other minors, Edgar Govani and Jeremy Alexander, are reportedly missing and believed to be victims of forced cartel recruitment. Their families joined the march to demand answers.
Organizer Calls Out Local Politicians
Blanca Herrera, who organized Saturday’s demonstration, said participants shared a single demand: justice for their loved ones. In an interview, Herrera criticized local politicians for ignoring crimes against children.
She specifically called out Humberto Valle, a PRI party legislator running for mayor of Tecate. “You want to win the presidency, but nobody cares about the children. They have no voice,” Herrera said, according to local reports.
Tecate, a city of roughly 110,000 people, sits about 30 miles east of Tijuana on the U.S. border. It is a common crossing point for Americans visiting the wine region of Valle de Guadalupe and the surrounding countryside. The city has seen a pattern of violence against activists and civilians in recent years, including the 2024 assassination of missing-persons activist Angelita Meraz León, who was gunned down in a beauty salon in the Loma Alta neighborhood.
Growing Fear Over Cartel Targeting of Minors
The recent cases have alarmed families across the municipality. Forced recruitment of minors by organized crime groups has become an increasing concern throughout Baja California. The practice involves cartels coercing or abducting young people to serve as lookouts, drug runners, or worse.
Saturday’s march, though small, represented a rare public act of protest in a city where speaking out carries real risk. Participants wore black as a sign of mourning and walked in silence through the commercial center of town.
No local or state officials have publicly responded to the marchers’ demands. The cases remain under investigation by Baja California’s Attorney General’s Office (FGE). This story was first reported by Jornada BC.