The National Guard was launched by PresidentAndrés Manuel López Obrador in 2019. It has since played a major part in intensifying the enforcement of immigration policy.[4] Before becoming president, López Obrador campaigned on a promise to take the military off the streets.[2] Shortly after assuming office, he released a plan to create the National Guard under control of the Mexican Armed Forces which would be in charge of "preventing and combating crime".[2][5] López Obrador stated that the new National Guard would be critical to solving Mexico's ongoing security crisis.[1][6]
On 28 February, Congress voted to approve a 60,000-member national guard.[6] On 27 May 2019, the law regulating the National Guard entered into force.[7] On 30 June 2019, the National Guard was officially established.[8][9]
In June 2019, as part of a deal with the United States, Mexico agreed to deploy the newly formed National Guard to its border with Guatemala.[10][11] While the guard was always intended to enforce immigration policy, it was not intended to do so as soon as announced.[10][11]
A 2019 survey sponsored by The Washington Post and Mexican newspaper Reforma gathered information on public opinion regarding both the new National Guard and illegal immigration to Mexico.[4] The survey was conducted from 9 July to 14 July 2019, among 1,200 adults across the country in 100 election districts by way of face-to-face interviews.[4] A 53% majority voiced their trust in the national guard, with two-thirds saying that they would like the national guard to be in their city, whereas 45% report that they feel more safe with the domestic force.[4] Furthermore, the survey said 51% of Mexicans support utilizing the country's recently formed National Guard to repel migration by illegal immigrants.[4]
^ ab"A Look At Mexico's New National Guard". NPR. 13 July 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
^ abcSieff, Kevin; Sheridan, Mary Beth (10 June 2019). "Mexico is sending its new national guard to the Guatemala border. The mission is unclear". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
^"Pase de la Guardia Nacional a la Sedena es oficial: AMLO publica decreto en el DOF". El Financiero (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 September 2022.
^ abcdeClement, Scott; Sieff, Kevin (17 July 2019). "Unauthorized Immigrants Face Public Backlash in Mexico, Survey". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
^"Plan Nacional de Paz y Seguridad" (PDF). transicion.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 July 2019.
^ abSemple, Kirk; Villegas, Paulina (28 February 2019). "Mexico Approves 60,000-Strong National Guard. Critics Call It More of the Same". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
^ abc"LEY DE LA GUARDIA NACIONAL" (PDF) (in Spanish). 9 September 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
^Acuerdo por el que se establecen los elementos de la Policía Federal, de la Policía Militar y de la Policía Naval que integrarán la Guardia Nacional (Acuerdo) (in Spanish). 2019.
^ abCorrea, Catalina Pérez (8 August 2019). "México necesita una Guardia Nacional realmente civil". The New York Times (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 August 2019.
^ ab"Mexico Scrambles To Establish National Guard After Promising To Tighten Border". NPR. 10 June 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
^ abSemple, Kirk (14 June 2019). "Mexico's National Guard, a 'Work in Progress,' Deployed to Curb Migration". The New York Times. Mexico City. Retrieved 14 July 2019.