Intimidation of water and environmental defender Teresa Roldán

Between 26 September 2025 and 4 October 2025, visitors and relatives of environmental defender Teresa Roldán were intimidated outside of the house of the defender by a security guard employed by the Irlanda Apartments real estate project in the municipality of Corregidora. This is in addition to other threats and acts of intimidation that Teresa Roldán and her family and friends have faced in what appears to be an effort to dissuade her from her work in defence of the ecosystem where the housing project is to be built.

Teresa Roldán is an environmental human rights defender who works in the State of Querétaro. She is a member of Women Spokespersons for Mother Earth, environmental group that works in defence of the water, health and territory of Querétaro. Since 2016, she has been actively involved in the defence of areas of great ecological value against deforestation and housing development on a large-scale. Among these areas are Peña Colorada, El Batán, Ejido el Zapote (Tierra Noble), El Salitre, El Tangano, Punto Olivo El Cimatario and the zone formerly known as the Metropolitan Park.

On 26 September 2025, a group of separate individuals who were going to the Teresa Roldán’s house were detained by the security guard employed by the Irlanda Apartments real estate project, who prevented them from entering the premisses. The environmental defender called the police to report what had happened, and a patrol car arrived at the scene, but the officers did not take any further action, claiming they could not locate the security guard. Teresa Roldán also contacted Irlanda Apartments who responded that the guard was an outsourced worker who is employed by a private security company, therefore denying all responsibility.

Later, on 3 October 2025, a relative of Teresa Roldán was on her way to the environmental defender’s house when the same armed security guard approached the car on his motorbike. The guard then shouted at the relative until she was able to enter Teresa Roldán’s house. The next day, on 4 October 2025, the environmental defender's daughter was leaving her mother’s home in her car when the security guard stood in front of the car, forcing her to drive slowly until she could turn onto a main road.

In addition to these recent acts of intimidation, the security guard has previously detained and interrogated individuals, and sometimes prevented them from visiting the environmental defender's home. Teresa Roldán reported that on several occasions, the security guard has fired shots into the air outside her home.

Irlanda Apartments is a project by the real estate company Grupo Hermes and consists of the construction of a residential area with 16 towers, each with 10 floors and underground parking. According to the digital journalism platform La Información Ahora, Irlanda Apartments has been promoting the pre-sale of apartments for two years despite not yet being granted the permits from the State Secretariat for Sustainable Development or the Municipal Secretariat for Urban Development.

The real estate project is planned to be carried out in an area that was granted special protection in 1997 as a Metropolitan Park due to its high environmental value and hydrological importance as a micro-watershed area that serves as a natural water catchment. However, in 2018, the Corregidora Council authorised a change in land use for the area, from being a special ecological protection zone to a zone that allows for the construction of commercial infrastructure.

Due to the negative impact that the construction of the real estate project will have on the area, environmental defender Teresa Roldán sent a letter to the Governor and Municipal President of Corregidora warning of the risk that will be posed to the ecosystem and inhabitants of the area. However, despite this communication and various warnings, Irlanda Apartments continues to promote the pre-sale of the apartments.

Front Line Defenders expresses its concern over the intimidation that water and environmental defender Teresa Roldán is facing for her work defending the ecological zone formerly known as Metropolitan Park. These actions outside her home, combined with the lack of action by the police, create a situation of insecurity for the environmental defender, who sees her advocacy work being hindered by the ongoing threats and acts of intimidation.

Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Mexico to:

1. Publicly condemn the acts of intimidation against water and environmental defender Teresa Roldán;
2. Guarantee the safety and security of environmental defender Teresa Roldán, in coordination with the defender;
3. Carry out an immediate, thorough, and impartial investigation into the acts of intimidation faced by the defender in order to ensure that she can live in her home without fear of violence;
4. Ensure in all circumstances that human rights defenders in Mexico can carry out their work without fear of reprisals and free from restrictions.