On 15 January 2026, around 10:15 PM, a burst of machine gun fire was heard near the back of president of Unión de Comunidades Indígenas de la Zona Norte del Istmo (UCIZONI) and well known human rights defender Carlos Beas's home in Rincón Viejo neighborhood, Santa María Petapa, Oaxaca. Two days later, on 17 January, an armed individual was spotted twice outside the same residence; when approached, he feigned drunkenness and fled, though his waistband weapon was clearly visible. The threats escalated on 20 January, when two unidentified men appeared at UCIZONI's offices claiming to be Federal General Prosecutor's Office (FGR) employees seeking three unnamed individuals for a notification, but they refused to identify themselves or prove their official status.

Ucizoni has been threatened and attacked on different occasions due to their work defending indigenous rights in the South of Oaxaca. Threats against them have increased since the announcement of the Inter-Oceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT) project, with the participation of majority State-owned company Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec S.A. de C.V., in the region. These threats come after the organisation, and specifically Carlos Beas, spoke up against the derailing of the train, part of the CIIT project, on 28th December 2025.