**In a strategic move to temporarily avert steep tariffs, Mexico has deployed 10,000 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, reinforcing its efforts to combat drug trafficking.**
**Mexico Sends Troops to U.S. Border Amid Tariff Negotiations**
**Mexico Sends Troops to U.S. Border Amid Tariff Negotiations**
**President Claudia Sheinbaum-redeploys National Guard to curb drug trafficking and avoid U.S. tariffs**
Mexico City, Feb. 4, 2025 – In a response to U.S. tariff threats, President Claudia Sheinbaum announced the deployment of 10,000 members of the Mexican National Guard to 18 cities and towns along the U.S. border. The move aims to bolster efforts to control drug trafficking, particularly the influx of fentanyl into the United States, and is part of a deal to delay the implementation of significant tariffs against Mexico.
With the National Guard being relatively new and under military control, this additional deployment places further strain on its resources. Jonathan Maza, a security analyst based in Mexico, explained that unlike the United States, Mexico does not have a specialized border patrol force; instead, it relies heavily on military and National Guard support to manage border security.
This latest action echoes the strategies employed by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who previously sent National Guard troops to combat migration pressures along Mexico's southern border with Guatemala. The National Guard, which consists of approximately 130,000 members, is now being tasked with a dual role of curbing illegal migration and drug trafficking.
President Sheinbaum refrained from detailing the financial implications of this redeployment. She assured that the troops had been strategically moved from other regions in Mexico, emphasizing the urgency of the situation as they are now present along the high-stakes border area.
With the National Guard being relatively new and under military control, this additional deployment places further strain on its resources. Jonathan Maza, a security analyst based in Mexico, explained that unlike the United States, Mexico does not have a specialized border patrol force; instead, it relies heavily on military and National Guard support to manage border security.
This latest action echoes the strategies employed by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who previously sent National Guard troops to combat migration pressures along Mexico's southern border with Guatemala. The National Guard, which consists of approximately 130,000 members, is now being tasked with a dual role of curbing illegal migration and drug trafficking.
President Sheinbaum refrained from detailing the financial implications of this redeployment. She assured that the troops had been strategically moved from other regions in Mexico, emphasizing the urgency of the situation as they are now present along the high-stakes border area.
