The discovery of human remains at Rancho Izaguirre in Teuchitlán, Jalisco, has once again put the spotlight on the brutal violence that dominates parts of Mexico. Yet, instead of a decisive and transparent response, the government, led by President Claudia Sheinbaum and her leftist Morena party, has taken an approach that appears more focused on damage control than on addressing the root causes of the scandal.

Despite strident calls from opposition legislators and victims' families, the Morena-led Senate has twice rejected the creation of a commission to investigate the events at Rancho Izaguirre. According to Animal Político, the ruling party, along with its allies in the PT and PVEM, blocked efforts to establish an independent inquiry. PRI Senator Manuel Añorve condemned the federal government for attempting to divert attention from the case rather than conducting a thorough investigation.

Añorve and other legislators have demanded an open parliamentary hearing where the voices of the madres buscadoras—relatives searching for disappeared family members—can be heard. These women, whose determination has often accomplished more in uncovering mass graves than official institutions, have called for justice and transparency. The government's refusal to acknowledge their efforts further reinforces the growing perception that authorities are more concerned with controlling the public narrative than seeking the truth.

In her bewildering public statements, Sheinbaum has insisted that Rancho Izaguirre functioned as a "training camp" rather than an extermination site. This claim is based on initial intelligence reports, despite the fact that human remains were subsequently found at the location. The federal security secretary, Omar García Harfuch, echoed her stance, asserting that while criminal activity took place there, no evidence supports the claim that it was a systematic extermination centre.

This minimisation stands in stark contrast to the findings of Guerreros Buscadores, a search collective that first identified the site’s significance. The group discovered incinerated remains, hundreds of personal belongings, and structures pointing to clandestine cremations. The reluctance of officials to classify the site as a full-blown death camp suggests an unwillingness to acknowledge the true extent of organised crime's reach—and potentially, its embarrassing links to state corruption or negligence.

The Rancho Izaguirre case follows a sinister pattern in Mexico’s handling of mass disappearances. In September 2024, security forces raided the same property but failed to detect the clandestine graves. It was only in March 2025, when families of the disappeared entered the site, that the true scale of the horrors there was revealed. This delay raises serious questions about the competence—or complicity—of law enforcement agencies.

Moreover, the response from authorities has been inadequate at best. When the madres buscadoras were invited to visit the site in March, they expected transparency. Instead, they described the experience as a “circus,” with officials failing to provide meaningful updates and limiting their access. Patricia Sotelo, a mother searching for her daughter, lamented that she was treated as a spectator rather than a grieving parent desperately seeking answers.

Following mounting pressure, the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) took over the investigation, sidelining Jalisco’s local authorities. This move was presented as a step towards accountability, but it was also seen as a tacit admission that the state government had mishandled the case.

The recent arrests of figures such as José Gregorio “El Lastra,” an alleged recruiter for the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), signal an attempt to demonstrate progress. However, critics argue that these detentions are merely symbolic, given the scale of impunity in cases of forced disappearance.

Public outrage, meanwhile, has been widespread. Protests erupted across Mexico, with demonstrators placing shoes in city plazas to symbolise the abandoned remains found at Rancho Izaguirre. Human rights organisations, including the United Nations, have slammed the government’s inaction and called for a full investigation.

The Sheinbaum administration’s reluctance to acknowledge Rancho Izaguirre as a mass killing site can be attributed to several factors. Politically, admitting that an extermination camp existed under her watch would severely damage her credibility, especially as she continues to position herself as a leader capable of tackling violence. Furthermore, classifying the site as a training camp rather than an extermination ground allows the government to frame the issue as an isolated incident rather than part of a larger systemic crisis.

More broadly, the Mexican government has long struggled to address cartel violence without implicating its own institutions. A thorough investigation into Rancho Izaguirre might expose troublesome connections between organised crime and law enforcement, leading to uncomfortable revelations. By downplaying the case, the administration simply avoids facing these difficult truths.

The Rancho Izaguirre scandal is emblematic of Mexico’s broader failures in addressing cartel violence and human rights abuses. Instead of prioritising justice for the disappeared, the government appears more focused on doing PR damage control and minimising political fallout. While arrests have been made, they do little to resolve the underlying issues of impunity and official negligence. Until Mexico develops a genuine commitment to transparency and accountability, tragedies like this will continue to unfold, leaving thousands of mourning families without closure.