Protests by Mexicans against a rapid rise in the number of foreign residents have been going on for years, documented in this newspaper since at least 2022, and in media worldwide. Unaffordable housing caused by “gentrification” is a frequent complaint, as well as a rapid change in local culture, and rude foreigners.
A recent driver of anti-American sentiment, as seen in vituperative graffiti covering the former U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara’s Colonia Americana — “Afuera Yanqui pedofila” — appears to be violent sweeps by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and disdain for U.S. President Donald Trump, which feed into criticism of gentrification.
But some experts and foreign residents here are gently pushing back against vilification of their presence in Mexico.
Reaction to a satirical Daily Show video in February that explains both sides of the issue, yet makes light of the problem irritated one 50-year-old Mexican resident of Guadalajara: “The way she describes it is funny, but it’s offensive because she’s describing abuse … a month ago I went to Mexico City and the Condesa and Roma neighborhoods. They’re very traditional, stylish neighborhoods ... but now they’re full of foreigners living there, and rent and food prices [have] displaced many Mexicans.”
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