Despite the contrary opinion of experts and organizations that criticize how the Army in Mexico is not only deployed in police tasks but also has a very leading role in migration control tasks at the borders, they are in charge of ports and customs, they build and manage large infrastructure projects, the The Senate of that country approved by a divided majority to extend the presence of the Armed Forces until 2028.
This law reform is approved in the midst of two strong Army scandals in Mexicothe first referring to a journalistic investigation which revealed that, in 2019, he bought Pegasus software to illegally spy on at least two journalists and a human rights defenderwho were investigating alleged human rights violations committed by the Armed Forces.
Also, recently The hacking of Army systems was revealed, revealing national security information, in addition to the true health of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
However, the Senate cared little for such a context and approved the minutes extending the presence of the armed forces in public security tasks until 2028, with 87 votes in favor, 40 against and 0 abstentions.
Prior to the vote, this reform, as well as the initiative that gives the Secretary of National Defense (Sedena) control of the National Guard, had already raised criticism by various national and international organizations, which the opposition deputies took as their own, warning that it is a question of a deepening of militarization.
They expressed concern about the growing role of the Armed Forces and the absence of control and accountability mechanisms. They warned that the military should only intervene in public security temporarily, in exceptional circumstances, as a last resort, and always under the effective supervision of independent civilian bodies.
It should be noted that despite the militarization launched by the López Obrador government, the country is experiencing one of its most violent stages in its history with at least 20 thousand 18 homicides so far this year, 73.8 cases per day and a cumulative of 135,453 so far this six-year term.