Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs, Mexico has deployed 10,000 members of the National Guard and the military to the U.S. border. On Wednesday, February 5 (local time), these troops were stationed at the border separating Ciudad Juárez in Texas from El Paso. The U.S. news agency Associated Press (AP) reported this development.
Troops were also seen patrolling other sections of the border near Tijuana. Masked and armed National Guard members were patrolling along the outskirts of Ciudad Juárez, searching through bushes near the border barriers. They were also seen lifting hidden makeshift ladders and ropes onto trucks.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum took this step just a week after Trump announced a delay in imposing tariffs on Mexico for at least a month. She had promised to deploy the National Guard to the border and take strict measures to curb fentanyl smuggling.
Although immigration levels and drug trafficking rates have significantly declined over the past year, Trump has still declared a state of emergency at the border. The U.S. has pledged to take action to stop the smuggling of American firearms into Mexico, as such violence has been spreading to other parts of the country. Criminal groups are also fighting to control the lucrative migrant smuggling industry.