Mexican Environmental Protection Office Closes “New Filos” Project

Source:
Agrarian Representatives of the Ejido of Carrizalillo

(Carrizalillo, Municipality of Eduardo Neri, Guerrero, México) Equinox Gold CEO Mr. Darren Hall’s celebration of the New Filos project did not last long. The project was inaugurated in the presence of representatives from the state of Guerrero, the municipality of Eduardo Neri and the communities of Mezcala and Xochipala on September 4, 2025. Since Wednesday afternoon, Equinox and its New Filos project face a new reality, having being closed by the federal government, specifically the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA).

Based on the information we have, at least 5 sites have been closed where there was sufficient evidence of harms and failure to comply with remediation measures previously identified by the federal environmental authority. The closure also includes observations of another 15 to 18 sites, which we presume could be closed in another 15 to 20 days if unaddressed.

For us, this closure on the part of PROFEPA is unprecedented and is encouraging to our struggle because it lends support to what we have been saying for a long time, that Equinox breaks the laws, does not comply with environmental regulations, uses its power to try to control communities and seeks to get around the legal framework in Mexico with tricks and political contacts. It is enough to recall that we have spent six and a half months camping outside the company’s gates waiting for our remediated lands to be returned in keeping with the law in order to continue our activities as campesino farmers, or that the company would otherwise make a real attempt to establish a process toward a just agreement and not the miserable terms that have been proposed together with racist treatment, without social justice or consideration for our most basic human rights.

Mr. Darren Hall, we remind you that:

  1. Your company puts our life at risk by not returning our lands remediated as the law requires or for refusing to work toward just land use and social cooperation agreements.

     

  2. The federal authorities have closed your project for creating environmental chaos because, by abandoning the mine in an unjustifiable way, you stopped managing operations and basic maintenance leading to contamination that is completely out of control.

     

  3. The company has sued our ejido and approximately 126 land holders before the Unitary Agrarian Tribunal because in the “judgement” of your lawyers, it is us who have denied you possession of what you say are your lands. You say that you have socially responsible relationships with communities associated with your projects, but this is false in our case.

     

  4. Your local operators, particularly Mr. Hugo Vergara, sold you the idea of having come up with a great new project with the communities of Mezcala and Xochipala called New Filos – now closed -, and it is possible that one of the sites that has been closed is where exploration activities were undertaken without the corresponding authorization. Such authorization is impossible to obtain because reconfiguring the project relies on negotiating with us the mine’s continuation or its closure with remediation of our lands. This is not our position, it is what Mexican laws establish.

     

  5. We call on you, as well as Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Ramón de la Fuente, and Undersecretary for Democratic Development, Social Participation and Religious Affairs within the Ministry of the Interior, Mr. Cesar Yáñez, to review Mr. Hugo Vergara’s status in Mexico given that he has repeatedly used his power to promote actions that go against public peace and that foster social confrontation that puts at risk the security of the communities associated with the mining project, as well as for violating the collective and human rights framework in our national constitution. It is important that you yourself, Mr. Darren Hall, as well as the communities of Xochipala and Mezcala, realize the string of lies that Mr. Hugo Vergara has spread because New Filos does not legally exist yet. As a result, we hope that you will not fall into a trap that leads to social confrontation, something that we refuse to engage in, because Mr. Vergara never tires of accusing us of putting an end to progress and development in the area.

We hope that this closure will be a serious wake-up call that makes you reflect on the terrible behaviour of your company and local operators in Mexico. We also hope that your associates, shareholders and financiers reflect on their investments because, not even 10 days ago, on October 7 to be exact, the company reported record third quarter production stating that it was “driven by solid performance at its mines”, which involves “optimizing its portfolio and significantly reducing its debt, consolidating its financial position for the start of 2026.” This celebration is overshadowed by the Mexican government’s closure [at Nuevo Filos] for being in violation of Mexican laws.

We have been in resistance for six and a half months, enduring the violation of our human rights by Equinox Gold. Today the environmental laws speak for us. Soon the civil code will do its part.

Attentively,

Agrarian Representatives of the Ejido of Carrizalillo