Anti-immigration protests in Mexico City turned violent Friday night, with rioters damaging fifteen businesses and vandalizing cars in the upscale Condesa and Roma neighborhoods in a protest against largely-U.S. immigration to the city.
Hundreds of protesters carried signs reading “Your new home is an invasion,” “We shouldn’t feel like foreigners in our own land,” and “Expat = gentrifier” which later escalated when a small group began smashing windows at businesses including a Starbucks and a bank. Protesters also spray-painted walls and ransacked stores in the affected areas.
“The reason we’ve gathered here is precisely to hear the thoughts of many victims, mainly young people today for whom it’s almost impossible to live, to find housing. It’s not just that; we’re living the consequences of gentrification, which is the government directing its public policies towards people with higher purchasing power, often illegally displacing local populations who have lived in these neighborhoods for 40, 50, and we have documented cases of up to 60 years,” Eduardo Alanis of Frente Anti-gentrification said in a statement.
Take a look —
"Gringos, stop stealing our homes."
Tourists were shouted at and store windows smashed during a protest against gentrification in Mexico City, where an influx of Americans and other "digital nomads" is driving up rents and pushing out locals. pic.twitter.com/OA0epvmKP7
— DW News (@dwnews) July 5, 2025
The protests targeted the growing presence of Americans and other foreigners who have moved to Mexico City since the coronavirus pandemic. Remote workers have been drawn by lower living costs and the opportunity to work from stylish neighborhoods like Roma and Condesa. Americans can stay in Mexico for up to 180 days without a visa.
The foreign influx has created a stark economic divide in a city where the average monthly salary is about $370. Rents have surged by 47% in five years according to Alanis.
While the surge has helped businesses in areas popular with foreigners and landlords renting rooms on platforms like Airbnb, it has threatened to price out longtime residents.
Some protesters compared the influx of Americans and Europeans to colonialism. Frente Anti Gentrificación Mx, one of the grassroots groups organizing the demonstration, called on people to protest against “American imperialism” in social media posts.
The Department of Homeland Security responded to the anti-immigrant protests on social media.
“If you are in the United States illegally and wish to join the next protest in Mexico City, use the CBP Home app to facilitate your departure.”
If you are in the United States illegally and wish to join the next protest in Mexico City, use the CBP Home app to facilitate your departure. https://t.co/P2vKuhbp65
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) July 6, 2025
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) July 6, 2025