Ciudad Juárez, Mexico – A fleet of National Guard and Army vehicles advanced along the border between Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, Texas on Wednesday. This movement marked the initial phase of a deployment of 10,000 soldiers that Mexico is sending to its northern border in response to tariff threats from former President Donald Trump.
National Guard members, donned in masks and armed, searched through underbrush adjacent to the border fence on the outskirts of Ciudad Juárez. They collected makeshift ladders and ropes that had been abandoned in the trenches and loaded them onto trucks. Patrols were also observed in various locations close to the border, including areas near Tijuana.
These developments follow a tumultuous week for the border after Trump stated he would postpone the implementation of significant tariffs on Mexico for a period of at least one month. In a reciprocal action, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum committed to deploying the National Guard to bolster the border and intensify measures against fentanyl trafficking.
Despite a noticeable decrease in both migration levels and fentanyl-related overdoses over the past year, Trump has proclaimed a state of emergency along the border. In response to this situation, the United States agreed to take further action to prevent the flow of firearms into Mexico, which has been a significant contributor to cartel violence that has spread to various regions of the country as criminal organizations vie for dominance in the profitable migrant smuggling market.
On Tuesday, the first contingent of these troops arrived in cities along the border, disembarking from government aircraft. Guardsmen on patrol on Wednesday confirmed their participation in this newly established force.
According to government statistics, Ciudad Juárez is set to receive at least 1,650 troops, making it one of the primary locations for these border reinforcements, second only to Tijuana, which is expected to receive 1,949 soldiers.
During Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent trip throughout Latin America, which focused heavily on migration issues, he expressed gratitude on behalf of the U.S. government to Mexico for its troop deployment, as stated in a release by the Mexican government.
The negotiations executed by Sheinbaum have been viewed as a clever political strategy by analysts, especially given her relative newness in office. There were previous concerns that she might struggle to handle dealings with Trump’s administration as effectively as her predecessor and ally, former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
