Protests in Mexico City turned violent on Friday as demonstrators rallied against tourism, gentrification, and skyrocketing living costs in the Mexican capital. The unrest resulted in damage to more than a dozen businesses.
Mexico City, the largest metropolis in North America, has faced mounting frustration from residents who say they are being priced out of their neighborhoods as rents rise and areas are redeveloped to appeal to tourists and wealthy foreign residents.
Hundreds of protesters initially marched peacefully through the streets, carrying signs with messages like “Your new home is an invasion,” “We shouldn’t feel like foreigners in our own land,” and “Expat = gentrifier.” However, the demonstration turned violent when masked individuals began smashing storefront windows, ransacking shops, and spray-painting anti-tourism graffiti such as “Get out of Mexico” and “Gringos, stop stealing our home,” according to the Associated Press.
Protesters also gathered outside the US Embassy, targeting American tourists in particular. This comes as Mexico City has seen a high level of so-called “digital nomads” who moved to the country after the COVID-19 pandemic began due to lower costs. The influx of foreigners, many working remotely from the US, has driven up demand for housing, with locals blaming them for pricing them out.
The Department of Homeland Security urged anyone who was in the US illegally and wished to join their comrades in Mexico City to go ahead and use the self-deportation CBP One app to do so. "If you are in the United States illegally and wish to join the next protest in Mexico City, use the CBP Home app to facilitate your departure," they said.
“Mexico City is going through a transformation,” said 19-year-old college student Michelle Castro, per the AP. “There are a lot of foreigners, namely Americans, coming to live here. Many say it’s xenophobia, but it’s not. It’s just that so many foreigners come here, rents are skyrocketing because of Airbnb. Rents are so high that some people can’t even pay anymore.”
The protests mirror anti-tourism demonstrations seen in other parts of the world, including major Spanish cities like Barcelona and Madrid, where locals have also pushed back against mass tourism and housing displacement.
In response to the continued unrest, Mexico City’s government secretary, César Cravioto, condemned the violence and the messaging. In an interview with Mexican news outlet Milenio, he called for an end to demonstrations with “xenophobic” rhetoric and emphasized that Mexico City “is a city of migrants.” He also said the city government does not agree with “this type of demonstration.”
