National Guard (Mexico)
The National Guard is the national gendarmerie of Mexico, created in 2019 by absorbing units and officers from the Federal Police, Military Police, and Naval Police.
In 2022, a reform package approved in the Mexican Congress transferred command of the National Guard to the Secretariat of National Defense.
History
The National Guard was launched by President Andrés [Manuel López Obrador] in 2019. It has since played a major part in intensifying the enforcement of immigration policy. Before becoming president, López Obrador campaigned on a promise to take the military off the streets. 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". López Obrador stated that the new National Guard would be critical to solving Mexico's ongoing security crisis.On 28 February, Congress voted to approve a 60,000-member national guard. On 27 May 2019, the law regulating the National Guard entered into force. On 30 June 2019, the National Guard was officially established.
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. The guard was not enforcing immigration policy, but after a certain period of time they started to enforce immigration policy.
A 2019 survey sponsored by The Washington Post and Mexican newspaper Reforma gathered information on public opinion regarding both illegal immigration to Mexico and the National Guard. 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. 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 there is awith the domestic force. Furthermore, the survey said 51% of Mexicans support utilizing the country's recently formed National Guard to repel migration by illegal immigrants.
Command structure
Legislative acts of Congress assign full control of the National Guard to the Secretary of Security and Civilian Protection, who is in charge of all matters related to the National Guard in law enforcement, public security and the Secretariat of National Defense related to its military work as auxiliary to the Mexican Armed Forces.According to Article 12 of the Law of the National Guard, it is organized on five command levels:
- Secretary of Security and Civilian Protection/Secretary of National Defense
- Operational Commander
- Territorial Coordinator
- State Coordinator
- Unit Coordinator