Senate approves Anti-Disappearance Law; digital CURP will be key

With more than 125,000 missing persons in the country, the new legislation seeks to become a definitive tool for families who, day after day, face the pain of not knowing where their loved ones are. On June 28, the Senate approved, with 89 votes in favor and 13 against, the General Law on Forced Disappearances of Persons, promoted as part of the National Search System.

The initiative establishes that the CURP (National Identity Document) with a photograph, along with biometric data and phone records, will be the starting point for generating automatic search forms. Everything will be integrated into the Single Identity Platform, connected to:

• The National Registry of Missing Persons
• The National Forensic Data Bank
• And other key administrative records

This integration will enable real-time queries and search automation, even using satellite or drone technologies.

The new legislation requires all authorities and individuals handling biometric or identification data to cooperate with the Attorney General's Office (FGR), local prosecutors' offices, security forces, and the National Intelligence Center.

It also establishes access to satellite images and unmanned technologies that can contribute to investigations.

"Half-baked laws don't work," said Senator Lilia Margarita Valdez Martínez (Morena), referring to the obstacles that searching families face today.

Despite majority support, the law drew strong criticism from some quarters:

• María Alejandra Barrales (MC) denounced the lack of resources for local search commissions, comparing the 23 million pesos the Mexico City commission receives with the 44 million allocated to the animal welfare agency.
• Ricardo Anaya (PAN) warned of a "brutal concentration of power" in a single regulatory entity, questioning the risks of centralized control and possible abuses.

Although it represents an important step forward, the new law leaves unanswered questions:

• How will the protection of personal data be guaranteed?
• What will happen to committees without heads or budgets?
• Who will audit the use of these databases?

Implementation will be key to ensuring this regulation doesn't remain on paper and truly saves lives and restores faces and names to those who today are merely statistics.