DIF Nacional signs agreement with Baja California for subsidy for migrant children's shelter in Mexicali

Federal subsidy for the care of migrant children on the northern border

The Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) of Monday, August 17, 2026, publication No. 223/2026, announced the Coordination Agreement No. SNDIF/DGAJ-C/0233/2026, through which the federal government channels resources as subsidies for strengthening the infrastructure and operation of the Peregrino de Mexicali-3 Shelter, a welfare center that provides lodging and comprehensive care to accompanied migrant children and adolescents arriving in the border city of Mexicali, Baja California.

The project bears the official name “Strengthening for the care of Accompanied Migrant Children and Adolescents at the Peregrino de Mexicali-3 Shelter (2026)” and was approved through Agreement SNDIF/CP/AC/2026/SE-09/001, identified with project code PROY-CC-2026-161 by the Projects Committee of the SNDIF.

Legal framework and participants

The Agreement is based on the General Law of the National System for Integral Family Development, the Social Assistance Law, the Migration Law, the Criteria for the Operation of Comprehensive Protection Programs, and other applicable regulations regarding the protection of the rights of migrant children. The parties entering into the instrument are:

• National System for Integral Family Development (SNDIF), under the Ministry of Health.
• System for Integral Family Development of the State of Baja California (SEDIF), a decentralized agency of the state government.

The SEDIF is obligated to open a special and exclusive productive bank account for the administration of federal resources, in accordance with the fifth paragraph of Article 69 of the General Law of Governmental Accounting, so that their origin can be distinguished in accounting terms and it can be identified that expenditures correspond to the purposes of the project.

Obligations and oversight mechanisms

The Agreement establishes that the subsidy may not be assigned, concessioned, modified, or disposed of for its operation, and must be applied solely to the Authorized Welfare Center at the Administrative and Postal Address indicated in the instrument. The main obligations of the SEDIF include:

• Submitting the resource receipt documentation within five business days.
• Using the SNDIF computer tool for expenditure verification.
• Submitting quarterly reports on financial, physical, and goal progress.
• Allowing supervision visits by the SNDIF and federal oversight bodies.

Control, monitoring, and evaluation of resources correspond to the SNDIF, the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, the Anti-Corruption and Good Governance Secretariat, and the Superior Audit Office of the Federation.

Validity and Termination

The Agreement shall be in effect from its date of signing until December 31, 2026. The instrument provides for grounds for termination due to failure to verify compliance with goals, rejection of field visits, or detection of deviations in the use of resources. In the event of early termination, the SEDIF must return unspent resources and their yields to the Treasury of the Federation.

Relevance of Migration Policy and Child Protection

Mexicali, as a border city with the United States, continuously receives migrant flows that include families with minors. The operation of the Peregrino de Mexicali-3 Shelter responds to the obligation of the Mexican State to guarantee the best interests of the child and the comprehensive protection of the rights of migrant girls, boys, and adolescents, regardless of their nationality or migration status. The publication of this Agreement in the DOF reinforces coordination between federal and state bodies to ensure that public resources are transparently allocated to the care of this population in vulnerable situations.

Source: Official Gazette of the Federation, No. 223, August 17, 2026, Section I, p. 414 (official reference: Coordination Agreement No. SNDIF/DGAJ-C/0233/2026; Approval Resolution: SNDIF/CP/AC/2026/SE-09/001; Project code: PROY-CC-2026-161).