(borderreport.com 12-18-25)
Tijuana City Manager Arnulfo Guerrero León told reporters earlier this week the city will not issue permits to a new bullring that is seeking to stage bullfights in the coming year. Promoters are accusing the city of “overstepping” its authority since these type of events are not illegal in the state of Baja California. But Guerrero León insists he has the jurisdiction to prevent bullfights from taking place.
“We have the discretionary capacity as a government to issue permits according to requirements we have listed, surely we’re going to prohibit bullfights,” he said.
On Tuesday, operators of Tijuana’s new bullring, which opened in May 2023, claimed a temporary judicial injunction suspending bullfights had come to an end. Bullfights in the city have not taken place since the summer of 2023.
“The suspension of bullfights has ended, there is no legal impediment now to prevent these festivities from returning to our state,” said a news issued by administrators with the Nuevo Toreo de Tijuana.
Animal rights activists like Frank Ortiz González said on the federal level in Mexico, bullfights are prohibited. He also stated the Baja California state code has determined that animals are sensitive beings and are subject to protection from harm.
“If someone in Tijuana dares to stage a bullfight, we will sue them and seek penalties under health and civic statutes,” Ortiz González said. “This could result in millions of pesos in fines.”
The people behind the proposed bullfights have said they will soon issue a formal schedule for bullfights to be held in 2026. As of Tuesday, according to Guerrero León, the city has not received any formal applications for permits involving bullfights in Tijuana, although he did say promoters can apply up to a few days leading up to an event.
