Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum has pledged to send 10,000 National Guard members to the U.S. border to delay impending tariffs from President Trump, focusing efforts on curbing drug trafficking, especially fentanyl.
Mexico's National Guard Reinforcement at U.S. Border Amid Tariff Negotiations
Mexico's National Guard Reinforcement at U.S. Border Amid Tariff Negotiations
In a strategic move against U.S. tariffs, Mexico deploys National Guard to combat drug trafficking.
In a significant effort to address concerns over drug trafficking and impending tariffs, President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico has agreed to send an additional 10,000 members of the National Guard to the U.S. border. This deployment is part of a deal made with President Trump to delay steep tariffs on Mexican goods for one month. As Sheinbaum noted, these reinforcements aim primarily to "prevent drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States, particularly fentanyl."
This decision comes during a critical time for the National Guard, which is relatively new and currently under military oversight in Mexico. The force, with approximately 130,000 personnel, has been increasingly relied upon to manage security at the border, a task often complicated by the absence of a dedicated border patrol and restrictions on armed immigration officers in Mexico.
Experts suggest this redeployment will place additional strain on the already stretched National Guard, which previously focused on managing migration northwards. The past few years have seen similar strategies, with Sheinbaum's predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, deploying troops to Mexico's southern border with Guatemala in response to U.S. pressure on migration.
Details on how these troops will be reallocated from other regions within Mexico remain unclear, as does the financial cost associated with this significant border enforcement measure. However, reports indicate that they have already been dispatched to 18 different cities and towns along the U.S.-Mexico border.
This decision comes during a critical time for the National Guard, which is relatively new and currently under military oversight in Mexico. The force, with approximately 130,000 personnel, has been increasingly relied upon to manage security at the border, a task often complicated by the absence of a dedicated border patrol and restrictions on armed immigration officers in Mexico.
Experts suggest this redeployment will place additional strain on the already stretched National Guard, which previously focused on managing migration northwards. The past few years have seen similar strategies, with Sheinbaum's predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, deploying troops to Mexico's southern border with Guatemala in response to U.S. pressure on migration.
Details on how these troops will be reallocated from other regions within Mexico remain unclear, as does the financial cost associated with this significant border enforcement measure. However, reports indicate that they have already been dispatched to 18 different cities and towns along the U.S.-Mexico border.
