Mexico began sending 10,000 troops to its northern border on Wednesday, with National Guard and Army trucks patrolling the area between Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, Texas, in response to President Donald Trump’s tariff threat.
National Guard troops, masked and armed, combed through the brush along the border near Ciudad Juárez, removing makeshift ladders and ropes from trenches and loading them onto trucks. Patrols were also spotted in other border regions near Tijuana.
This follows a tense week at the border after President Trump decided to delay imposing heavy tariffs on Mexico for at least a month. In return, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum pledged to deploy the National Guard to strengthen border security and combat fentanyl smuggling.
Trump declared a border emergency despite a significant decline in both migration and fentanyl overdoses over the past year. In response, the US pledged to take stronger action against the trafficking of American guns into Mexico, which fuels cartel violence.
This violence has spread across the country as criminal groups vie for control of the lucrative migrant smuggling industry.
On Tuesday, the first wave of troops arrived in border cities, disembarking from government planes. Guard members patrolling on Wednesday confirmed they were part of the new deployment.
According to government figures, at least 1,650 troops are expected to be sent to Ciudad Juárez, making it one of the largest recipients of border reinforcements, second only to Tijuana, which will receive 1,949 troops.
During Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Latin America, where migration was a key topic, he thanked the Mexican government for deploying the additional forces, as per a statement from the Mexican government.
The negotiation by Sheinbaum was seen as a smart political move by the newly elected Mexican leader. Many had questioned whether she could handle Trump’s presidency as effectively as her predecessor, former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
With AP inputs
