Please note: The following is a letter to the editor, submitted by a reader on April 4, 2025. The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Yucatán Today.
My wife and I moved here from the U.S. in October of last year, not as migrants for the winter season or for work, but as foreigners wishing to enjoy what México has to offer and become permanent full-time residents.
Since moving here, we have observed numerous acts of questionable and concerning behavior from a variety of foreigners within the Yucatán. Behavior we fear may create a greater tension and divide between the citizens of Yucatán/México and its foreigner population.
For example, the latest incident going around is the lady in Chuburná Puerto demanding that a truck parked on the other side of the street from her house be moved. The vehicle was legally parked and not encroaching on her property, yet this foreigner demanded that the vehicle be relocated. Other incidents getting attention are centered around beaches and foreigners attempting to deny their access to natives.
Incidents of racial behavior by foreigners toward native workers and business owners are also being reported through social media and verified as true from sources close to their respective situations.
Why is this behavior acceptable? If it isn’t acceptable, why is this continuing to happen? Are foreigners unaware that beaches are open to the public? Or that parking on the street is a common and acceptable practice in México? I know for a fact that street parking is common in countries north of México.
Are foreigners unaware there are no private beaches in Yucatán? If they are aware, do they have the authority to supersede local and state laws as they see fit? The answer is, they don’t. If you are living in another country, it is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with and obey the laws set forth by that government. This is the same standard you would set for foreigners in your own country. Law and order, and all that.
The term “expatriate” or “expat,” for short, is used by a certain demographic of foreigners. As the definition goes, an expatriate is “someone not living in their own country.” By that definition, this is not your country. Being an expatriate does not bring with it certain entitlements to do as you please. As an expat, you are a guest of México and Yucatán. Again, in your own country, you would expect foreigners to treat your country and its citizens with the dignity and respect they deserve. Why is it any different here?
Also, how many foreigners earn an income without a permiso para trabajar or just simply not paying their fair share of taxes? This is a criminal offense north of the Mexican border, and it is here as well. Are you somehow entitled to take advantage of what México has to offer without paying your fair share to improve its resources and infrastructure?
To the foreigners who overstay their travel visas. An expired visa qualifies you as an illegal alien, thus a deportable offense, does it not? The same guidelines are set forth in your own country. Law and order swings both ways. You are not entitled to stay in the country longer than legally permissible.
If you are going to live here in Yucatán or México, ask yourself, “Would I accept this behavior from others in my own country?” If the answer is no, then why is it acceptable for you to behave this way here? Stop ruining it for the foreigners who actually want to be here and who respect its cultures and people.
You don’t like the natives to be in your own country, yet you don’t like them when you’re in their country. Pick a lane. If you don’t like the natives, you don’t have to live here. Period.
I understand all of this may fall on deaf ears, as people rarely change their behavior through others’ pleas. But please know this: we are, in fact, witnessing and partaking in the decline of Western civility as we know it. Do better.
