If there is security, there is development, opportunity, and livable conditions.
En el noreste industrial de México, el gobernador de Coahuila presentó ante un consejo regional de seguridad y desarrollo una narrativa poco común en el país: tres ciudades del estado figuran entre las más seguras de la nación, y en un solo mes se generaron más de doce mil empleos. Jiménez no lo presenta como coincidencia, sino como consecuencia de una tesis que ha convertido en eje de su gobierno: que la seguridad y el desarrollo no son metas paralelas, sino la misma meta vista desde ángulos distintos. En un país donde la sombra de la violencia ha frenado históricamente la inversión y el bienestar, Coahuila intenta demostrar que la coordinación institucional puede ser algo más que retórica.
- Tres ciudades coahuilenses —Piedras Negras, Saltillo y Torreón— aparecen ahora entre las más seguras de México según datos del INEGI, una señal que contrasta con el clima de inseguridad que persiste en gran parte del país.
- La creación de más de 12,000 empleos en abril, en medio de incertidumbre económica nacional y global, coloca a Coahuila como segundo estado generador de empleo ese mes, lo que sugiere que la percepción de seguridad se está traduciendo en decisiones concretas de inversión.
- El gobernador reconoce que los logros no son obra de una sola institución: la coordinación entre policías estatales, autoridades federales, municipios, empresarios y sociedad civil es presentada como el mecanismo real detrás de los resultados.
- Obras de infraestructura vial y un proyecto de modernización ferroviaria apuntan a reducir la fricción cotidiana que aleja a empresas y familias, convirtiendo la funcionalidad del territorio en un argumento económico.
- La pregunta que flota sobre el consejo es si este modelo resistirá las presiones políticas y económicas que inevitablemente vendrán, y si los rankings y cifras de empleo se sostendrán más allá del momento favorable.
El gobernador Manolo Jiménez se presentó ante el Consejo Regional de Seguridad y Desarrollo del Sureste con cifras que respaldan una apuesta política clara: Coahuila tiene hoy tres ciudades entre las más seguras de México. Piedras Negras ocupa el segundo lugar nacional y encabeza todas las ciudades fronterizas; Saltillo es la capital estatal más segura del país; y Torreón entró por primera vez al top seis nacional. Los datos provienen del INEGI y miden la percepción real de seguridad entre los habitantes, no solo estadísticas oficiales.
Jiménez ha construido su administración sobre una tesis central: seguridad y desarrollo son inseparables. Si hay seguridad, hay inversión; si hay inversión, hay empleo; si hay empleo, las familias tienen condiciones dignas de vida. En abril, el instituto de seguridad social del estado registró más de 12,000 nuevos empleos, colocando a Coahuila como segundo generador de empleo en el país durante ese mes, a pesar de la incertidumbre económica que afecta a México y al mundo.
El gobernador atribuye estos resultados a la coordinación entre niveles de gobierno, sector empresarial y sociedad civil. No lo presenta como retórica de gabinete, sino como el mecanismo concreto que explica los avances. En paralelo, el estado trabaja en mejoras viales en corredores clave como Los Chorros y la autopista Saltillo-Monterrey, y participa con proveedores locales en un proyecto federal de modernización ferroviaria.
Jiménez se comprometió ante el consejo a mantener este modelo. Lo que aún está por verse es si los rankings se sostendrán, si la generación de empleo continuará y si la coordinación institucional que produjo estos resultados podrá resistir las presiones que inevitablemente se avecinan.
Governor Manolo Jiménez stood before the Southeast Regional Security and Development Council with numbers that told a particular story about Coahuila: three of its cities now rank among Mexico's safest, the state created over 12,000 jobs in a single month, and investors keep coming. The meeting, held with representatives from federal and municipal governments, business groups, and civil society organizations, centered on a thesis the governor has made central to his administration—that security, economic growth, and quality of life rise or fall together.
The security claims carry weight because they rest on recent INEGI data about how Mexicans actually perceive their safety. Piedras Negras, the border city, now ranks second nationally and leads all border regions. Saltillo, the state capital, holds the title of safest capital in the country. And Torreón, for the first time, broke into the national top six. These are not marginal improvements. They represent a shift in how a major industrial state positions itself in a country where security concerns have long shadowed economic prospects.
Jiménez framed the achievement as the fruit of coordination—state police working with federal agencies, municipal authorities aligned with business leaders, citizens engaged in the process. The language of collaboration has become standard in Mexican governance, but the governor's emphasis on it suggests he sees it as the actual mechanism, not merely the rhetoric. He stated plainly: if there is security, there is development, opportunity, and livable conditions for families.
The economic dimension gives the security claims context. In April alone, the state's social security institute registered more than 12,000 new jobs, placing Coahuila second nationally in employment generation for that month. This happened despite what officials acknowledge as broader uncertainty in Mexico and globally. The implication is that investors still see the state as a reliable place to build factories and businesses, that the security improvements are translating into actual economic activity.
The state has also focused on practical infrastructure work that touches daily life. Highway operations along critical routes like Los Chorros and the Saltillo-Monterrey corridor have been reinforced, with authorities working to clear accidents faster and reduce traffic disruptions. A federal passenger rail modernization project is underway with local suppliers involved in the work. These are not glamorous initiatives, but they address the friction points that make a region either functional or frustrating for businesses and residents.
The governor's message to the council was that this model—security as foundation, coordination as method, infrastructure as enabler—will continue. He committed his administration to maintaining alignment across all sectors to strengthen both safety and economic conditions. What remains to be seen is whether these rankings hold, whether the job creation sustains, and whether the coordination that produced these results can survive the inevitable political and economic pressures that lie ahead.
Citas Notables
If there is security, there is development, oportunities and quality of life— Governor Manolo Jiménez Salinas
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
When a governor talks about security and jobs in the same breath, what's really being measured?
Whether people believe their city is safe enough to walk at night, to start a business, to raise children. The INEGI data captures that perception. But the jobs number—12,000 in one month—that's concrete. Factories don't expand in places where they think their workers will be robbed or their shipments hijacked.
So the security rankings are the permission slip for economic activity?
More than that. They're the proof that the permission slip is working. Piedras Negras is a border city. Border cities have particular challenges. If it's ranking second in the country, investors notice. Torreón breaking into the top six is new. That's a signal that something shifted.
The governor kept saying "coordination." How much of this is actually coordination versus just good timing?
That's the hard question. You can't separate them cleanly. But coordination means state police, federal agents, and municipal cops aren't working at cross purposes. It means business leaders are talking to security officials about what they need. It means civil society groups are part of the conversation, not outside it. That doesn't happen by accident.
What about the infrastructure work—the highways, the rail project?
Those are the unglamorous part that actually matters. A highway where accidents get cleared in 20 minutes instead of two hours changes how a supply chain works. A passenger rail system that functions means workers can move, families can visit, the region feels connected. These things don't make headlines, but they're what investors ask about.
Is this sustainable?
That depends on whether the coordination holds when political winds shift, when the economy tightens, when the next crisis arrives. The rankings are real right now. The jobs are real right now. Whether this becomes a model or a moment—that's still being written.