Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda and Esthela Damián Peralta, Undersecretary for Crime Prevention at Mexico’s Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), led the launch of Project Tijuana (Proyecto Tijuana), a strategy designed to reduce risks associated with drug use, promote autonomy for people living in vulnerable conditions, and strengthen the social fabric.
“To sow peace, we must address the root causes of crime. This project also strengthens our Hearts (Corazones) program, through which all seven municipalities in the state are working together to fight poverty, inequality, and social gaps, because those are precisely the conditions that generate crime,” said the governor.
For her part, Esthela Damián Peralta emphasized that through Peace Days (Jornadas de Paz), more than 13,000 children and teenagers have returned to school in Baja California. Since November, these efforts have reached various neighborhoods of Tijuana to strengthen community work, build trust, and create direct connections with families.
She pointed out that the federal government’s presence in the city follows the instructions of President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, who has stressed the importance of tackling the structural causes of crime, such as inequality, marginalization, and school dropout rates.
The governor also highlighted that coordination among the three levels of government has made it possible to significantly reduce high-impact crimes in Tijuana. She credited this progress to joint work and a community-centered approach, which is reinforced through outreach events like these that also bring services to people experiencing homelessness and those in migration contexts.
Ávila Olmeda reaffirmed her commitment to continue strengthening security efforts directly within communities, with actions that actively involve residents. She underlined the important role that Tijuana’s youth play in the Sembradores de Paz (Peace Sowers) program, which is part of a broader strategy to transform the city’s most vulnerable areas.
She added that the state government will keep working closely with communities, visiting neighborhoods to listen to and help those who need it most. In this effort, she highlighted the role of young people who join social brigades, motivated by access to new opportunities and a desire to build a better environment.
“We’re here, going door to door with young people who stepped up. This is what transformation looks like: seeing young people join together to sow peace and hope, and to change the logic of violence and crime on our streets,” Ávila Olmeda said.
She also acknowledged the SSPC’s work to push forward a prevention strategy that motivates youth to actively contribute to peacebuilding, fostering inter-institutional coordination to deliver results directly in communities.
It is worth noting that these outreach events also include voluntary disarmament stations, helping Baja California remain one of Mexico’s leading states in weapons collection.
“We’re bringing our President’s vision here to Tijuana, and it’s already delivering great results — especially when it comes to supporting young people, giving them the chance to get ahead, protecting them, motivating them, and, above all, helping them believe deep down that in this life, anything is possible,” added Tijuana Mayor Ismael Burgueño Ruiz.
