Graffiti reading “Get out of Mexico” and “Kill a gringo” remained on storefronts and walls in Mexico City this week after a large anti-gentrification protest that drew hundreds of demonstrators and underscored growing tensions over rising housing costs in the capital.
Some protesters kicked in shop windows and confronted businesses in affluent neighborhoods, acts that city officials and activists say are driven by frustration over years of rising rents and the arrival of higher-income residents from abroad.
The demonstration, which moved through areas popular among tourists and remote workers, was largely peaceful. But the vandalism and inflammatory slogans drew widespread criticism, including from President Claudia Sheinbaum, who denounced the rhetoric as discriminatory.
“No to racism, no to classism, no to xenophobia. All human beings are equal, and we cannot treat anyone as less,” she said.
The protest also drew attention from the United States. The Department of Homeland Security posted a pointed message on X, telling people in the U.S. illegally that if they wished to join the next demonstration in Mexico City, they could use the CBP Home app “to facilitate your departure.”
Organizers said the protest was aimed at highlighting the displacement of long-time residents rather than targeting foreigners. Frente Anti Gentrificación Mx, one of the main groups behind the march, described gentrification as a modern form of colonization supported by governments, institutions, and companies that favor those with greater purchasing power.
Spokesperson Yessica Morales said housing prices in Mexico have surged 286 percent since 2005 while real wages have fallen 33 percent. “We are not against migration because migration is a human right,” Morales said. “We are against violence as a government model.”
Experts say the dynamic is more complex than an influx of Americans or Europeans. Activist and lawyer Carla Escoffié said gentrification has been advancing for decades and is driven by longstanding inequality, weak housing policy, and land privatization.
“Not all foreigners gentrify, nor are only foreigners responsible for gentrification,” she said, adding that the issue stems primarily from systemic imbalances.
Still, the arrival of short-term rental platforms and a surge of remote workers during the pandemic has intensified pressure on the housing market in central districts. Escoffié said the city entered a “new phase” of gentrification in 2020, one fueled by digital nomads and the growth of Airbnb listings.
Airbnb says it contributed more than 1 billion dollars to Mexico City’s economy last year and argues that home sharing supports residents. The company said more than half its hosts reported the service helped them remain in their homes and that nearly three quarters used the income for essential expenses.
Mexico City’s government signed an agreement with Airbnb and UNESCO in 2022 to promote the city as a global hub for digital nomads and creative tourism.
The move, announced by Sheinbaum when she was mayor, drew criticism from tenant groups who said the initiative helped accelerate displacement in already pressured neighborhoods like Roma, Condesa, Juárez, and Polanco. Airbnb currently lists more than 26,500 units in the city, with many concentrated in those districts.
Cities across Europe have enacted restrictions on short-term rentals in response to similar pressures. Barcelona plans to eliminate licenses for more than 10,000 tourist apartments by 2028, arguing that daily rentals have made long-term housing unattainable for many residents.
In Mexico City, activists warn that pressure on housing could intensify as the country prepares to host World Cup matches in 2026. Morales said the event could push authorities to favor business interests over residents. “Given the critical state we are in, who would come up with this?” she said.
