For many Mexican mothers, May 10, traditionally a day of celebration, has transformed into a heartbreaking occasion marked by grief and protest. Instead of getting flowers and gratitude, many women march through the streets holding pictures of their lost children and demanding action from authorities.
Mexico’s crisis of enforced disappearances has reached alarming proportions. The nation’s problem with people being taken away against their will has hit a frightening level. The National Registry of Missing and Unlocated Persons reports over 116,000 people as missing as of 2024 with 97% of these disappearances coming after 2006, when the country’s war on drugs worsened. The vast majority of these cases remain unsolved, and families are left to carry the burden of searching on their own. Many have something to do with organized crime, corrupt public leaders, and police departments that failed to perform their duties.
The Rise of “Madres Buscadoras”
Because the government has struggled, independent organizations led mostly by women have emerged. Collectives such as Las Madres Buscadoras de Sonora, Colectivo Solecito de Veracruz, and Sabuesos Guerreras have been instrumental in the search for missing persons. Since it began in 2019, Las Madres Buscadoras de Sonora has found 1,300 people who are still alive and found 1,230 dead in clandestine graves. These women organize search teams on their own and do fieldwork with metal rods, shovels, and dogs that have been trained to follow scents, often with little or no help from the government.
Over 5,000 moms in Mexico have been reported to be actively involved in these kinds of search groups, working nonstop to find their missing loved ones in deserts, forests, and cities. Most of the time, these women are in serious danger, including threats from organized crime groups and even murdering them. At least eight women who were helping with the search were killed in 2022 and 2023.
Mother’s Day: A Day of Protest
These mothers who have lost their children have changed what Mother’s Day symbolizes in Mexico. They arrange actions like the March for National Dignity every year, which starts in Mexico City and is repeated in many state capitals. These peaceful protests feature hundreds of women dressed in black or white, carrying banners and chanting names of their children. People don’t usually talk about these events when they celebrate, but they are a strong reminder of the national problem.
A mother of four missing sons, María Herrera Magdaleno, stated that “The mothers of the disappeared have absolutely nothing to celebrate. It’s a day of pain, of suffering, and of indignation because we feel unheard.” Her words perfectly describe how these women feel. “Because we don’t feel heard, today is a day of pain, suffering, and anger.” Women talk about their grief, light candles, and make public altars at the marches, which are also places where everyone can heal.
About 4 million women, or 10% of mothers in Mexico, don’t celebrate Mother’s Day anymore because one or more of their children have been taken away against their will. Their absence transforms the holiday from a celebration into a public display of mourning.
Seeking Safety Abroad
Due to the general lack of safety, many mothers have had to leave Mexico to find safety elsewhere. The pattern has become clearer through migrant advocacy groups and personal stories, even though it is not as well recorded in official data. Many of these women were previously involved in search collectives and fled due to sustained threats from organized crime or after the murder of another activist in their area.
There are currently a growing number of Mexican women who moved to Miami, Los Angeles, and Houston to be safe. Between 2014 and 2024, about 20,000 Mexican women moved to Miami alone. They usually lived in immigrant areas and kept in touch through church groups, advocacy networks, and WhatsApp groups. From outside of the United States, these women continue to fight for human rights by running online campaigns, submitting human rights reports to international groups, and applying for refuge on humanitarian grounds.
Marcelo Morales, a student at FIU, says that the thought of his mother going through what so many women in Mexico do significantly touched him. When asked how he would feel if his mother were one of the many “Madres Buscadoras”, mothers searching for their disappeared children, he states that:
“It would truly hurt me if my mother, given the circumstances in countries like Mexico, were to associate her Mother’s Day more with facing that sad reality than with celebrating something she should be the protagonist of. At the same time, I think it would be logical and of course understandable. After all, any mother, whether it’s her day or not, would struggle to feel true joy or find a reason to celebrate if she’s burdened with such overwhelming concerns in her life. It’s something I would have to face and be part of.”
Morales’s empathy speaks to the emotional weight this crisis carries, even for those who have not experienced it firsthand. His words reflect the shared humanity and sorrow that extend beyond borders, echoing the pain of those whose lives have been defined by loss and uncertainty.
Mother’s Day in Mexico has evolved from a celebration into a reminder of the country’s human rights crisis. The unwavering determination of these mothers serves as both a testament to their love and a call to action for authorities to address the high number of child disappearances happening across the country. It’s not just a movement, their fight has also caused a moral debate that goes far beyond the borders of Mexico.
This story must be told not only on Mother’s Day but every day, until no mother has to march with a photo instead of a child.
“As a young Mexican woman, born and raised in a deeply sexist culture where disappearances are part of everyday life and violence is treated as ‘normal,’ it’s terrifying to live with the constant fear that one day I might disappear too. The thought of my mother having to go through the immense pain of not knowing whether I’m dead or alive haunts me. I just wish these circumstances could change, not only in Mexico but in all countries facing similar crises. And to anyone reading this: hug your mothers, love them deeply. So many mothers in Mexico would give anything to hold their children in their arms again, just as their children would give anything to hug their mothers once more.”
You can also read this story on Medium.
