#09/2023
For immediate distribution
Tuesday, April 18, 2023

PRESS RELEASE

THE GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO CONCLUDES THE PROCESS OF IDENTIFYING MEXICAN NATIONALS IN THE MARITIME INCIDENT REGISTERED IN CALIFORNIA

In connection with the incident on March 11, in which eight migrants drowned when the boat they were transported in capsized in the area surrounding La Jolla, California, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs deeply regrets this painful loss of lives, and reports the following:

Since the incident became known, the Mexican Foreign Ministry, through its Consulate General in San Diego, was in permanent contact with the corresponding authorities to advance in the process of identifying the victims and providing consular assistance to their families.  

The bodies of eight people, five men and three women - one of them a minor - were recovered and have been fully identified in accordance with the protocols of the forensic medical service, and their relatives have been notified. Six of these migrants were from the state of Puebla, one from Jalisco and another from Mexico City.  The Foreign Ministry appreciates the search, rescue and identification of people carried out by both U.S. and Mexican authorities.

"The Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego calls for raising awareness about the dangers our nationals face when crossing the border undocumented. The loss of human life in these conditions is absolutely unacceptable. For no reason should deaths at the border be normalized," said Consul General Carlos González Gutiérrez.

The Government of Mexico is covering the costs of repatriating all victims to their hometowns and assists their families with legal procedures. Support to the families from Puebla is being arranged in coordination with the local government.

The Government of Mexico, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the Mexican nationals who lost their lives, while reiterating that the protection of migrants abroad is the highest priority of its foreign policy.

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