**Residents of Maclovio Rojas Demand Expropriation of 197 Hectares**
Residents of Maclovio Rojas in Tijuana have staged simultaneous protests on the Tijuana-Tecate highway and Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas in Mexico City. The demonstrations are in response to the government’s failure to regularize their land ownership. Juan de Dios Escalante, spokesperson for the community, explained that they have not received any of the 400 promised free titles or the 852 reduced-cost titles, which were meant to be provided at 650 pesos per square meter.
The residents are now demanding the expropriation of the 197 hectares encompassing their town. According to them, they have already paid for the land twice—in 1995 and 2011—to the former Commission for the Regularization of Land Tenure and the Ejido Francisco Villa but still have not received their ownership titles. They protest as a means to secure a meeting with Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, to expedite the titling process that was promised to them.
Escalante highlighted that a 20-million-peso subsidy from the Baja California governor, Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda, aimed at facilitating the titling process, has been allocated to the Ejido Francisco Villa. Despite this, the community has not received any titles.
Baja California’s Secretary of Government, Alfredo Álvarez Cárdenas, stated that the proposal to expropriate the land is a new development that the federal government will need to consider. He mentioned that work groups have been set up to address the titling, yet the progress remains undisclosed.
**Secondary Article: Protests Highlight Land Ownership Issues in Mexico**
The recent demonstrations by Maclovio Rojas residents underscore a broader issue of land ownership and regularization in Mexico. Many communities across the country face similar challenges, with delays in legal processes and governmental bureaucracies hindering land title acquisitions. These challenges often lead to social unrest and call for a need to streamline land titling processes.
A recent report indicates that irregular land tenure affects millions of Mexicans, complicating urban planning and development efforts. The federal government has been urged to implement comprehensive reforms to address these systemic challenges, focusing on transparency and efficiency to avoid prolonged disputes and economic losses.
The situation in Maclovio Rojas is emblematic of these widespread issues, with local and state governments needing to collaborate effectively to deliver on promises of land titlement and address residents’ concerns swiftly to prevent further social disruptions.