Key Takeaways
- National Guard troops have begun deployment along the 3,200-km border with the United States.
- The deployment aims to combat fentanyl trafficking and curb illegal migration.
- A working group will be created to address security matters and decrease arms trafficking and drug trafficking.
Mexico City: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Tuesday that 10,000 National Guard troops have begun deployment along the 3,200-km border with the United States.
Bolstering border security was part of an agreement reached a day earlier with her U.S.
counterpart, Donald Trump, to combat fentanyl trafficking and curb illegal migration.
During her regular press conference, Sheinbaum said troops were being redistributed from areas with fewer security concerns to the border region, and the move “does not leave the rest of the country without security.”
She said part of her negotiations with Trump was to create a working group to address security matters, adding that Trump pledged to “investigate the entry of high-powered weapons from the United States into Mexico.”
Both sides must cooperate “so that arms trafficking decreases and drug trafficking decreases,” she said.
As part of the agreement, Trump announced a one-month suspension of a planned 25-percent tariff on Mexican imports.
Trump signed executive orders on Saturday to impose a 25-percent additional tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico. However, on Monday, Trump held off on his tariff threats against Mexico and Canada for 30 days after a last-minute deal with the two countries for further negotiations.
