President Claudia Sheinbaum stated on Monday that her government is already looking into the complaint regarding the alleged existence of a black market for Mexican birth certificates issued irregularly to Cuban citizens in Chiapas.
During her morning conference, the president explained that the Security Cabinet and the Attorney General's Office of Chiapas are investigating the case, following a journalistic investigation that indicated that the Mexican Consulate General in Houston issued an alert regarding possible documents obtained fraudulently in Tapachula.
"The Security Cabinet, particularly the prosecutor's office, was investigating it, in case this incident occurred," Sheinbaum said when questioned by the press. She added that, so far, it is not a widespread situation.
The president indicated that the Chiapas Prosecutor's Office is investigating whether any public officials were involved in possible acts of corruption related to Civil Registry offices.
"It is not a case that we are aware of," he emphasized.
According to what was presented in the question raised during the press conference, the alert was directed at the alleged irregular issuance of birth certificates to Cuban citizens, documents that could have been used for various official procedures.
In the same conference, Sheinbaum was also asked about Mexico's ambassador to Honduras, Martha Susana Peón Sánchez, in response to questions regarding her nationality.
The official responded that the diplomat “meets all legal requirements” and noted that, in any case, the Secretariat of Foreign Relations can provide more information.
The federal government indicated that the Security Cabinet will continue reviewing the case in coordination with state authorities to determine if there are any administrative or criminal responsibilities.
The topic is related to an investigation announced in January, when the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs revealed the existence of a network dedicated to the irregular issuance of Mexican birth certificates allegedly used by Cuban citizens to carry out procedures at Mexican consulates in the United States.
The first alerts arose in Houston, where between January 15 and 21, the consulate detected several requests from individuals claiming to be Mexican, but upon being interviewed, they admitted to having been born in Cuba and having no legal or family ties to Mexico.
The applicants admitted to having acquired fraudulent documents through intermediaries.
The records were supposedly issued by the Civil Registry of Tapachula, Chiapas, and although they appeared in official systems and had a certified Unique Population Registration Key, they contained inconsistencies, such as the lack of marginal notes and the birth certificate number.
Subsequently, similar cases were detected involving documents allegedly issued in states such as Aguascalientes, Nayarit, and Puebla, indicating a broader scheme.
Initial investigations identified the possible epicenters as the Chiapas municipalities of Tapachula, Motozintla, and Comitán.
The Attorney General's Office of the State of Chiapas then confirmed that, following an internal audit by the Civil Registry's Control Body, irregularities were detected that led to a formal complaint on January 12.
As a result, three employees were identified and arrested, charged with abuse of power, criminal association, and illegal access to computer systems.
Federal authorities have indicated that the case remains open and that new arrests as well as the expansion of investigations to other states cannot be ruled out, in a context characterized by the use of illegal means to obtain documents for immigration purposes.
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