The theft of passports from foreigners is one of the criminal incidents that tourists suffer the most. Robberies happen more often when they leave their backpacks in the car.
The head of the Directorate of National and International Affairs of Solidaridad, Isabelle Cailloux, clarified that within the scope of her competence, it is her duty to provide help to affected tourists by referring them to the Center for the Care and Protection of Tourists (CAPTA) so that their consulate can give them an emergency passport, with which they can identify themselves in the meantime.
The Solidaridad community worker reported that every week she attends to about 10 people (two per day) who have been robbed.
“Many have their (passport) stolen, others say they can not find it. They fly the next day or the same day and can not find it, so they come in distress and ask for a replacement,” she reported.
Who steals the document? Isabelle Cailloux answers, “In many cases reported to us, they leave their backpacks in the car, and that’s where it gets a little complicated. The most important thing is that they can do all the paperwork in one place.”
The head of the Directorate of National and International Affairs of Solidaridad added that the affected tourists can also count on the Prosecutor’s Office of the Specialized Tourism Service, in the same place, as they contact CAPTA, which is responsible for tourism, as well as the Prosecutor’s Office to report the loss of the document and get the attention of the Directorate of National and International Affairs of the municipality to put them in touch with their consulate.
When asked how the crimes of theft of passports of foreign tourists are prosecuted, Isabelle Cailloux explained that this task does not fall within the competence of her administration. However, she pointed out that once the passport is reported stolen or lost can no longer be used, as the staff of the Directorate of National and International Affairs will communicate this to the consulates so that it can be declared invalid.
On this subject, Isabelle Cailloux said that she will ask the consulates if they have information about the investigation of this crime against foreign tourists, “to collect all this circumstantial evidence and transmit it to the president so we can see if there is a common point,” she said.
The official agreed that the passport is not only used to allow tourists to return to their countries or travel to other destinations, but that throughout Mexico it is a document used for identification and required by various institutions.
However, there are places like Banco Santander that do not accept this document so that people can identify themselves. This is what happened to a citizen who claimed to be Spanish, and after being attacked by motorcyclists on the island of Cozumel, he lost his INE when they took his wallet.