Blockade in Manzanillo paralyzes commerce due to labor protest

Threats against correspondent

After the murder of Francisco Alejandro Leyva Aguilar, Proceso‘s correspondent in Oaxaca, Pedro Matías Arrazola, was intimidated through social networks. They warned him that he would be next.

Organizations such as Reporters Without Borders and the UN demanded that the threats be investigated and security guarantees granted. The Oaxaca Prosecutor’s Office deployed two agents to protect him, and the state police carry out patrols near his home.

“I didn’t find out until they told me about Reporters Without Borders and then the UN, but I didn’t pay much attention to it (…). Better to keep a low profile,” declared Matías.

The journalist explained that he avoided spreading the threats so as not to divert attention from Leyva’s case. However, colleagues advised him not to minimize the risk, in a context of growing attacks against the press.

Two years ago, individuals threw Molotov cocktails with nails at his home, without causing any injuries. That attack forced him to leave the country for six months. Sixteen years earlier he was kidnapped and tortured.

“I am not afraid. I am a believer. I have a mission in this life and it will be until God decides,” he stated.

Matías filed a complaint for threats with the State Prosecutor’s Office. Its incorporation into the federal protection mechanism began.

“If we remain silent, they will have achieved their purpose. In recognition of Alejandro Leyva, I will continue along the same critical line,” he said.

Protest in Guelaguetza

Relatives and friends of Alejandro Leyva protested during the Guelaguetza delegation parade. With tarps, banners on the roof of a house and dressed in black, they demanded justice.

“We are Alejandro’s family and we ask for justice for my uncle. We know the situation in the country. It is not just Oaxaca, it is the entire country. Please join our cause,” expressed the protesters.

New stage for national livestock farming

President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed that the United States border will gradually reopen at the end of August for the export of Mexican livestock. The measure represents economic relief for the country and for thousands of families dedicated to livestock farming.

Both nations suffered losses during the shutdown, caused by the presence of the screwworm. Sheinbaum acknowledged that the coordinated work between governments and producers for more than a year made it possible to contain the pest.

“You know that we have been working on the issue, both with all the livestock organizations and with the governors, to contain the screwworm,” said the president from Cuautla, Morelos.

As part of the strategy, a plant to produce sterile flies is already operating in Chiapas. In addition, Cofepris is analyzing a new strain that would make the process more efficient.

Sheinbaum explained that the effort is carried out in conjunction with the governments of Mexico, the United States and Panama. This articulation created the conditions for the US authority to authorize the opening of the border.

Proposed neighborhood law

Neighbors of the Del Valle neighborhood, in the Benito Juárez mayor’s office, announced that they will promote a bill to strengthen the protection of property owners. The proposal is inspired by the case of Doña Carlota, who in Chalco, State of Mexico, used a weapon to defend her home and caused the death of two people.

After holding a four-day sit-in at the intersection of Matías Romero and Coyoacán Avenue, where they reported alleged looting, the neighbors obtained a work table. The meeting will be next Wednesday in the Bunker of the Attorney General’s Office of Mexico City (FGJ CDMX) with the prosecutor Bertha Alcalde Luján and the Secretary of Government, César Cravioto.

Alicia Camp, member of the Community Participation Commission (Copaco) of Valle Centro, stated that they will present files from affected neighbors throughout the capital.

“This is not a unique and isolated case as the prosecution wants to believe; it is a recurring event, not only in Benito Juárez, but throughout the City,” he declared.

Camp called on those who have investigation files for invasion or dispossession to join the table to demonstrate the magnitude of the problem. He warned that, if there is no concrete progress, the next protest will close the intersection of Insurgentes Sur and Eje 6 Sur.

“I want to believe the word of the people who govern us, but if this is not resolved satisfactorily, we will go out again to demonstrate,” he said.

Regarding the initiative, Camp explained that they seek to avoid extreme situations to recover properties and strengthen legal mechanisms. The reform would contemplate the Public Property Registry and notaries to make fraudulent operations more difficult.

In June 2025, the Congress of the State of Mexico toughened the penalties for dispossession: from five to 10 years in prison, and up to 25 years and six months if public servants or notaries participate. The law considers aggravating factors such as physical violence, breaking locks, or when the victim is over 70 years old, a minor, a pregnant woman, a disabled woman, or belonging to an indigenous community.