Mexico Faces Historic Surge in Disappearances Amid Questions Over Official Crime Data

MEXICO CITY – A recent discussion between prominent commentators Brozo and Loret has cast a critical light on Mexico's escalating crisis of disappearances, asserting that May marked the highest number of missing persons in the nation's history. The duo, known for their incisive political commentary, delved into the discrepancies between official government figures on homicides and the rising statistics of disappearances. During their broadcast, Loret stated, "May, brother, May, which just passed, was the month with the most disappearances in the history of Mexico." He questioned the government's narrative, which claims a reduction in assassinations, suggesting a possible reclassification of deaths to obscure the true extent of violence. "While the president says that assassinations have gone down, and according to official data, assassinations have gone down, disappearances have skyrocketed. What is happening?" Loret asked. Brozo further elaborated on the potential implications, implying that bodies might be concealed to avoid counting them as murders, thus shifting them into the disappearance category. "Either the government finds the bodies and hides them in graves so as not to count them as assassinations but as disappearances, or the narcos have already understood the government's message, which is: 'Look, you kill whoever you have to kill, but don't leave them in the street, because then people will come after me, and I have to register them, and the statistics will fly, and then on Tuesdays, every two weeks, when I go to the morning press conference, I can't be boasting.'" The commentators emphasized that these are official figures, stating, "Assassinations go down, disappearances go up." The discussion also touched upon other government claims, such as dismantled narco-laboratories and arrests, juxtaposing them with the grim reality of the disappearance crisis. The segment underscores a growing concern among some media figures about transparency and accountability in the face of ongoing violence in Mexico.