In Chiapas, federal and state authorities are investigating a corruption scheme that allowed the issuance of Mexican birth certificates to foreign migrants. These documents appear in the official system, complete with a serial number, certified CURP (Unique Population Registry Code), and administrative validity, but contain false information.
The investigation is being conducted by the Chiapas State Attorney General’s Office and the General Directorate of the Civil Registry, following internal audits and formal complaints.
According to testimonies and official records, these are not counterfeit documents printed on the street, but rather registrations directly entered into the Civil Registry platform. This allows the buyers to obtain Mexican passports, attempt to regularize their immigration status, or avoid deportation to their country of origin.
Investigations primarily point to the sale of:
Birth certificates
Marriage certificates
Both documents grant access to a Mexican legal identity, allowing a person to:
Apply for a CURP (Unique Population Registry Code)
Apply for a Mexican passport
Open bank accounts
Attempt to obtain residency or naturalization
Register children as Mexican citizens
Initiate procedures at consulates
Avoid deportation proceedings
Therefore, the business doesn’t just sell “papers,” but a complete legal identity.
How much do these fake certificates cost?
The price ranges from $1,500 to $2,500, although in some cases it can be higher.
Now the business is selling birth certificates, because migrants who lost their status in the United States plan to return to Mexico, but with Mexican passports, which makes it easier for them to apply for family reunification,” he noted.
Authorities and sources consulted indicate that a single birth certificate can fetch up to $4,000, because these are documents registered within the official system, not simple forgeries.
According to what has been documented in Chiapas:
Cubans and Haitians are among the main buyers.
The certificates are offered both at the southern border and remotely.
Many documents are sent by courier to the United States so that migrants can apply for passports at Mexican consulates. The objective, according to the investigations, is to avoid being returned to their country of origin when they are detained by immigration authorities.
The investigated birth certificates were issued from Civil Registry offices in Chiapas municipalities near the border with Guatemala.
Consular authorities detected that, although the documents appear in the The Integrated System for Printing Birth Certificates, which contain certified CURP (Unique Population Registry Code) information, presents technical irregularities, such as:
Lack of marginal registration annotation
Absence of birth certificate
Inconsistent data regarding parents, place, or date of birth
These alerts triggered further investigations.
The case that raised the alarm
The scheme came to light when five Cuban citizens presented Mexican birth certificates at the Mexican Consulate in Houston to apply for passports.
The inconsistencies led to a direct verification with the Civil Registry, which uncovered the network.
Shortly after, on December 5, municipal police from Tapachula and the State Guard dismantled an internet café located across from the offices of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (Comar).
There, it was discovered that two men were posing as lawyers and offering:
Services before Comar
Assistance with the National Institute of Migration
They charged between 2,500 and 5,000 pesos with the promise of legalizing their immigration status. Both are fugitives.
Source: elimparcial
