The government of Quintana Roo has issued its official stance following a series of incidents involving Cuban citizens in Cancún and Puerto Morelos, which have escalated neighborhood tensions in recent weeks.
The Secretary of Government of the state, María Cristina Torres Gómez, called for community integration and explicitly rejected the idea of citizens taking justice into their own hands, in a message directed to both Mexican neighbors and the involved institutions, according to local media.
The most recent trigger was an altercation that took place on May 28 in Supermanzana 23 in Cancun when a Mexican citizen reported being bitten by a unleashed dog and then assaulted by the alleged owner, identified as Cuban.
The video went viral, drawing around 200 people to the Cuban’s home, there was throwing of stones and bottles causing material damage, and the deployment of Municipal Police, State Police, National Guard, Navy, and riot police was required.
Parallel to this, on May 25, the Quintana Roo Prosecutor's Office arrested two Cubans —Alexander «N» and Andys Luis «N»— accused of assault and threats against an elderly woman and her son in the Villas Morelos subdivision, in a dispute over property boundaries.
In both cases, Torres Gómez was emphatic: "There is no reason for anyone to take or seek to take the enforcement of the law into their own hands. The authority will always be there promptly, as it was that day, to prevent a more serious situation, and we should not reach those extremes."
The official also revealed that the state government had already identified Supermanzana 23 as a priority attention area about 15 days before the viral incident, with interdisciplinary meetings underway between various agencies and the neighborhood residents.
"We have been having interdisciplinary meetings, all the authorities with them, with the neighbors. We have sought the best communion between the residents, non-resident foreigners, and the Mexicans living in the neighborhood," he stated.
The inter-institutional strategy involves the Secretariat of Citizen Security, the Undersecretariat of Human Rights, and the Directorate for Crime Prevention.
Torres Gómez announced that the state government will seek to incorporate the Cuban Consulate into the ongoing inter-agency discussions, with the aim of establishing a diplomatic link that contributes to orderly coexistence.
Regarding a possible arrest warrant in the United States against the Cuban involved in the SM-23 incident, the secretary clarified that they did not have any information on the matter at that time. However, she emphasized that it is the authorities' obligation to review the legal situation of anyone detained for administrative offenses.
In response to the question of whether the social anger could be confused with xenophobia, Torres Gómez dismissed the generalization: "We should never stigmatize a person of any nationality based on the individual behaviors that anyone, including Mexicans, might exhibit."
That call gains significance in light of what the civil organization CISVAC documents, which indicates that since early 2026 there has been an increase in discrimination against Cubans in Cancún, with challenges in finding employment, refusals to rent them housing, and even signs with messages such as "no Cubans allowed."
The underlying migration flow partially explains the accumulated tension. Between January 2025 and March 2026, nearly 13,000 migrants from third countries were deported from the United States to Mexico, with Cubans being the largest group at 4,353 cases.
"We have called for integration, and we urge everyone not to seek revenge or take justice into their own hands. We must always strive for dialogue, as has been achieved in cases recorded in Puerto Morelos," concluded Torres Gómez.
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