Mexican troops are deploying to the US border: Here’s where they are going

Mexico began deploying the 10,000 troops it promised to nonstop to its borderline with the United States connected Wednesday, its 2 largest deployment sites reported to beryllium adjacent Ciudad Juárez and Tijuana.

National Guardsmen and soldiers person been reported arriving adjacent Ciudad Juárez, crossed the borderline from El Paso, Texas. Roughly 1,600 troops are expected to patrol that area, according to The Associated Press quality agency.

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— El Universal (@El_Universal_Mx) February 6, 2025

Guardsmen besides took portion successful a associated Mexico-U.S. cognition successful Ciudad Juárez, searching for clandestine smuggling tunnels dug by transgression groups.

Masked and equipped Guardsmen scoured the brushwood on the borderline fence, collecting makeshift ladders and ropes tucked distant successful the trenches, the AP reported. 

The Mexican authorities said different 1,950 troops were to beryllium connected patrol successful and astir Tijuana, crossed from San Diego, California. The AP reported that troops were seen climbing disconnected authorities planes successful Tijuana connected Tuesday and they began walking the borderline connected Wednesday.

“There volition beryllium imperishable surveillance connected the border,” National Guard person José Luis Santos Iza told reporters arsenic the archetypal acceptable of soldiers arrived. “This cognition is chiefly to forestall cause trafficking from Mexico to the United States, chiefly fentanyl.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to deploy troops to its bluish border connected Monday, an statement that prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to postpone the exertion of tariffs connected imports.

Upon taking bureau connected Jan. 20, Trump had declared an exigency astatine the Mexico-U.S. borderline and was acceptable to enforce a 25% taxation connected Mexican imports successful effect to the undocumented migrants from astir the satellite and drugs entering the U.S. via Mexico.

In summation to expanding its borderline security, Sheinbaum has asked the U.S. to bash much to halt American guns from being trafficked into Mexico to transgression organizations.

Mexico’s National Guardsmen deployed successful Tijuana Wednesday. (Omar Martínez/Cuartoscuro)

The Mexican president said connected Tuesday that the unit deployment volition not effect successful information issues elsewhere successful the country. 

“Be assured that we are successful nary mode leaving different states vulnerable,” Sheinbaum said astatine regular property league Tuesday. “This is simply a reorientation of our forces.”

Sheinbaum has much than 280,000 subject troops to grip matters of nationalist security, including cause trafficking and amerciable migration, according to the paper USA Today.

With much than 9,000 Army and National Guard troops already stationed astatine the bluish borderline past year, the caller deployment required a displacement of lone 3.5% of remaining troops.

The National Guard’s “mission is fluid,” said Samuel Storr, a researcher with the Iberoamericana University’s Citizen Security Program successful Mexico City. “It gives the authorities the leeway to marque these large announcements. It serves for a performative overseas policy.”

Foreign ministers confer

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by telephone connected Tuesday with Mexican Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente to sermon factual actions to unafraid the U.S.-Mexico border. 

According to Rubio’s spokesperson Tammy Bruce, the brace discussed dismantling transnational transgression organizations, halting amerciable migration and stemming the travel of fentanyl and precursor chemicals from China. 

“Secretary Rubio thanked Mexico for sending 10,000 troops to our border,” Bruce said successful a statement, adding that “Secretary Rubio and Foreign Secretary de la Fuente affirmed a communal committedness to enactment together, arsenic neighbors and partners.”

The paper El Universal reported connected Thursday that subject unit would beryllium deployed to astatine slightest 18 municipalities on Mexico’s bluish border. Troops were to beryllium sent to the states of Baja California (3,100 troops), Sonora (1,987), Chihuahua (2,620), Coahuila (1,017), Nuevo León (623) and Tamaulipas (743).

Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente has been successful telephone calls this week with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding Mexico-U.S. practice connected borderline security. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)

It is expected that National Guardsmen volition besides beryllium stationed astatine six cities successful the authorities of Sonora, crossed the borderline from the U.S. authorities of Arizona — San Luis Río Colorado, Nogales, Sonoyta, Naco, Agua Prieta and Sásabe.

El Universal reported that connected Wednesday the troops were patrolling southbound of the Río Bravo successful the portion known arsenic Valle de Juárez, southeast of Ciudad Juárez. Soldiers swept an country of astir 35 kilometers, passing done the towns of San Isidro and San Agustín 

Earlier, Mexican and U.S. authorities conducted a coordinated hunt for amerciable tunnels successful the Chamizal portion of Ciudad Juárez. 

El Universal reported that among the U.S. agencies taking portion successful the hunt were the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP).

Mexican agencies progressive successful the cognition were the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR), the National Guard, the Defense Ministry and the Chihuahua authorities Bureau of Investigation.

With reports from El Universal, USA Today and The Associated Press