Mexico begins deploying 10,000 National Guard troops to the US border
A convoy of Mexican National Guard and Army trucks rumbled along the border separating Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, Texas, on February 5 (local time).
This is one of the first groups of 10,000 soldiers that Mexico deployed to its northern border following US President Donald Trump's threat to impose tariffs.
Armed, masked National Guard members combed through the bushes along the border fence on the outskirts of Ciudad Juárez, pulling out homemade ladders and ropes hidden in trenches and loading them onto trucks. Patrols were also organized in other border areas near Tijuana.
The move comes after a volatile week at the border, after Trump said he would delay imposing hefty tariffs on Mexico for at least a month. In return, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum pledged to deploy the National Guard to strengthen border controls and crack down on fentanyl trafficking.
President Trump has declared a state of emergency at the border, even though migrant numbers and fentanyl deaths have dropped significantly over the past year. In return, the US has pledged to step up efforts to stop guns from being smuggled into Mexico, contributing to gang violence that has spread to other areas as criminal groups vie for control of the lucrative migrant smuggling industry.
The first of these forces arrived in border cities on February 4, disembarking from government planes. Guard members on patrol on February 5 confirmed they were part of the newly mobilized force.
"There will be constant surveillance at the border," José Luis Santos Iza, one of the National Guard commanders in charge of the deployment in the border city, told the media as the first troops arrived. "The operation is mainly aimed at stopping the smuggling of drugs from Mexico to the United States, especially fentanyl."
At least 1,650 troops will be deployed to Ciudad Juárez, making it one of the areas receiving the largest border reinforcements, behind only Tijuana, which is expected to receive 1,949 troops, according to government figures.
During US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's tour of Latin America, where migration is at the top of the agenda, the top US diplomat thanked the Mexican government for the deployment, according to a statement from the Mexican government.
Ms. Sheinbaum’s negotiations were seen by observers as a smart political move by the new Mexican president, who had previously been skeptical about her ability to deal with the Trump administration as effectively as her predecessor and ally, former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
