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Mexico’s National Guard: The jury is still out

This week, Mexico’s quasi-federal military/police force, the Guardia Nacional (National Guard), marked five years since its creation in April 2019, a few months after President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador assumed power.

pg3At ceremonies held across the nation, politicians of various stripes — including Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro — credited the nascent force for its commitment and bravery in keeping Mexico safe.

Highlighting “tangible results” and boastin of a 62-percent decrease in crime in the state during his administration, Alfaro said, “Military and civil (authorities) came together, complementing each other with knowledge and experience to enrich this institution.”

The eulogies, however, mask serious doubts, and, for many Mexicans, the jury on the GN is still out.

The military’s role in what many people had presumed would be a civil federal force is one of the main concerns.  After taking office, Lopez Obrador immediately disbanded the Policía Federal Preventiva (Federal Preventive Police), formed in 1999. His new force took members from a few Mexican police forces, but the bulk of its personnel came from within the armed forces, as did its commanders. In 2022, Congress rubber-stamped the transfer of GN’s operational and administrative control to the Defense Ministry, even though it continued to be attached to the Ministry of Security.

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