Mexico's Senate Approves National Guard Military Command Amid Controversy

Mexico's Senate approved placing the National Guard under military command, despite critiques about increasing militarization. This marks another win for outgoing President López Obrador before his exit. The decision follows a contentious judicial overhaul, raising fears of politicizing the judiciary. The opposition argues the move reduces civilian control and deepens militarization.

Mexico's Senate approved early Wednesday placing the National Guard under military control, a decision facing widespread criticism for deepening the nation's militarization. This marks another major victory for outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador just days before his exit from office.

The approval follows the Congress' passage of a controversial judicial overhaul on September 11, which forces all judges in the country to stand for election, raising concerns of politicizing the judiciary. The National Guard, initially proposed as a civilian security force under the Public Safety Ministry, will now be under military command.

Debate continued through the night as the governing Morena party and its allies overcame opposition driven by concerns from human rights organizations and the United Nations. They insisted the change would make the National Guard a more effective security force, rather than militarizing the country.

Sen. Luis Donaldo Colosio from the opposition Citizen Movement party criticized the move as normalizing military control to achieve peace, arguing it condemned Mexicans to choose between armed conflict or imposed silence.

In 2019, López Obrador disbanded Mexico's federal police, creating the National Guard with a majority of members drawn from the military. Since then, successive administrations have relied heavily on the military due to civilian police being outgunned by powerful drug cartels. López Obrador has notably expanded the military's role beyond public security to include managing ports and airports.

(With inputs from agencies.)