Mahahual, Q.R. — Authorities were greeted with tension Friday during a land eviction in Mahahual. A group of alleged squatters were told they could no longer live on the plot of land in the La Esperanza neighborhood.
Ministerial officials made the visit Friday to evict the illegal occupants who were living on land that is currently involved in a legal battle.
Residents of the settlement argued that they have been occupying the land for years and that their right to the land should be considered from a social, not a legal, perspective.
“We’re not squatters. We’re working families who just want a decent place to live,” said one resident who joined in a road block to protest the eviction.
On Friday, a Ministerial Police operation involved a property in La Esperanza that is currently involved in a legal dispute. Those living on the land claimed authorities acted without prior discussion or the presence of a mediator.
