Cases extend into higher-value neighborhoods
The takeovers are no longer confined to informal settlements. They have spread to more expensive residential neighborhoods and central boroughs, where rapid gentrification has sharply increased property values, according to a report that also appeared in Bloomberg News.
Mexico City Attorney General's Office (FGJCDMX) data cited by Punto por Punto show 39,436 property dispossession cases registered from January 2016 through June 2026. The cases were concentrated in 10 colonias, or neighborhoods, five of which are in the Cuauhtémoc borough.
In the first six months of 2026, the office opened 1,978 investigation files for the crime, known as despojo. That was a 4% increase from the 1,901 files opened during the same period in 2025.
Vacant homes and forged records
Most seizures occur while homeowners are on vacation or after an occupant's death leaves a home unattended. Criminal groups break into properties and use title fraud to claim ownership. Their operations routinely involve corrupt local officials, judges and public notaries who falsify registry documents and obstruct lawful efforts to evict the occupiers.
Older adults are frequent targets of forged documents and illegal powers of attorney, according to Jorge Paredes, CEO of Realty Experts. He estimates that people over 60 account for 40% of dispossession victims nationwide.
In the neighboring State of Mexico, the Attorney General's Office (FGJEM) has identified at least 10 organizations posing as unions that engage in property dispossession. The groups use weapons and intimidation to drive owners out, targeting homes belonging to single mothers and older adults.
Complaints, recoveries and arrests
Mexico City's Gabinete contra Despojos, or anti-dispossession cabinet, received 1,032 cases between July 2025 and July 2026, according to Attorney General Bertha Alcalde Luján. Officials determined that dispossession had occurred in 388 cases; among those, properties were returned in 185 cases and seized by authorities in 84.
The city launched an anti-dispossession strategy on August 5, 2026. By September 30, it had received 573 complaints, including 121 classified as confirmed dispossession cases: 17 involving violence and 104 without violence. Separately, the Attorney General's Office reported that 221 properties had been secured or recovered during the strategy's first 56 days.
According to a Bloomberg report, authorities arrested 300 people accused of dispossession during Mayor Clara Brugada's administration. That total included 114 arrests in 2026 after the city strengthened its strategy. Authorities also offered 100 pro bono lawyers to assist victims.
Penalties and the effort to regain a home
Article 237 of Mexico City's Penal Code sets a prison term of six to 11 years for illegal dispossession of real property, along with a fine of 200 to 1,000 Unidades de Medida y Actualización (UMA). Nationally, however, the civil-society organization México Evalúa estimates impunity for the crime at 96.36%.
Owners seeking to recover their homes can face continuing threats as well as administrative and judicial delays. Lawyer Pablo Williams says that, in his experience, cases with orderly documentation can be resolved in eight months to two years, while those without clear records may take more than five years.
