Mariela Sánchez does not have immunity, since immunity was eliminated in 2016 in the entity
The Second District Judge in the State of Campeche, Roxana Hernández López, ordered the State Congress to initiate the process of removing the mayor of Tenabo, Mariela Sánchez Espinoza, from office in an opinion issued on February 10, 2026, derived from a labor trial.
The judge asked for “evidence that the necessary actions are carried out for the process of removal from office of the president of the Municipality of Tenabo.”
With this ruling, the Congress of the State of Campeche will once again have the power to sanction the official by removing her from her position, since on the first occasion, the legislators met in a reserved manner to deal with that matter and did not proceed against the municipal authority.
Regarding the immunity for the municipal president of Tenabo, it does not apply, since in Campeche it was eliminated in 2016, so no public servant – including mayors or local deputies – enjoys immunity from prosecution.
According to the State Legal Counsel, any eventual restitution of the immunity would require a reform to the local Constitution, which would need the vote of two-thirds of Congress and the endorsement of the majority of the councils of the entity.
In this context, it is relevant to note that Mayor Sánchez Espinoza herself is part of the 7 Morena mayors who publicly spoke out against the return of the jurisdiction, considering that “its reinstatement weakens equality before the law, transparency and accountability, and feeds the perception of impunity.”
Therefore, since this legal figure is not in force in the State, Mariela Sánchez is subject to the same administrative and criminal responsibilities as any other public servant.
In this regard, Deputy Paul Arce Ontiveros said that this ruling will go to commissions for analysis, since the appropriate mechanisms in the Organic Law of the Legislative Branch must be understood, and later, when the commission delivers the results of its work, the plenary session is called to vote on the initiative.
He stressed that, unfortunately, this issue had already been discussed in the plenary, and even Mariela Sánchez Espinoza, and other mayors were invited to catch up and comply with the measures requested by the Labor Court of Campeche, not knowing whether or not she complied with the call.
Source: La Jornada Maya
