While we visited Tenosique, Tabasco, many Guatemalan migrants we interviewed told us that their final destination was not the United States, but the city of Cancun. In Cancun, our interviewees did not reach an agreement on whether migrants stayed in city permanently and whether their stay was voluntary. Experts mentioned the neighboring Mexican states of Chiapas, Tabasco, and Oaxaca as places of origin of many Mexican migrants residing in Cancun, particularly those working in the construction industry.
Although they did not identify the incidence of labor trafficking in the city, our interviewees expressed their concern over labor exploitation in Cancun. Mexican migration from neighboring states was considered to be temporal rather than permanent.
Experts pointed at the hotel industry in Cancun as the main environment where labor exploitation occurs. Some experts reported that the workforce from Mexican neighboring states may be declining while Central American labor rises. The attributed reason was that Mexican migrants started to demand better pay.
When discussing the possibility of human trafficking for sexual exploitation taking place in the city, experts were divided. Government officials reported raiding several clubs, spas, and massage parlors. The raids did not lead to arrests or closure of venues. Authorities found no evidence that these business, where only women were reported to be working, were not breaking any laws.
No minors were found working at these places and the women were mostly of Mexicans. Everyone had legal papers to work in those places. When authorities asked the women if they were coerced into prostitution, they denied, and some even expressed discontent over being interrupted at work. However, most interviews reported a growing concern over the existence of sexual exploitation of minors in Cancun.
