Two Muslim women in Mexico, Ana Maria Garcia and Michelle, obtained the country's first passports with photographs of them wearing hijab, after years of legal battles.
Mexico's passport regulations generally require applicants to be photographed with their heads bare. Officials reportedly justified the hijab refusal by citing national security and Mexico's secular status.
However, Mexico's Supreme Court ruled in December 2025 that religious head coverings should be permitted when they do not prevent facial recognition.
Bibiana Cruz, a member of Marea Hyab México, welcomed the development and stated:
"We are not a national security problem."
According to her, there are about 30,000 Muslims in Mexico, about 70% of whom are women.