Senate approves that the military continue in the streets

The Senate of Mexico approved on Tuesday to extend until 2028 the permanence of the military in the streets, at a time when they have been involved incontroversy after the extraction of a cluster of communications Army electronics by a group of hackers.

After a marathon debate that lasted more than eight hours, the Senate, controlled by the ruling party, approved by 87 votes in favor and 40 against, a constitutional reform backed by the president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, which expands from 5 to 9 years the participation of the military in public security tasks.

The senators agreed to modify a transitory article of the Constitution, in force since 2019, which established that the military should remain out of the barracks until 2024.

The initiative will now be sent to the Chamber of Deputies, which must evaluate the changes made by the senators to a reform that was discussed last month by the lower house, for final approval.

Defending the reform, the president of the Senate’s Political Coordination Board, Ricardo Monreal, said that the initiative will provide the armed forces with a “constitutional basis” and will subject it to a parliamentary control mechanism.

“And we are going to fight to regain our security. Let’s trust in our institutions, in the armed forces,” Monreal said.

During his six-year term, López Obrador has left an increasing number of tasks in the hands of the military, which include the construction of emblematic works such as the new airport in the Mexican capital and a train in the south of the country, the handling of customs and airports and the distribution of vaccines.

Part of the opposition rejected the reform alleging that it violates the Constitution, which establishes that public security must be in the hands of civilians.

“I would not need more in a rule of law than what the Constitution already says,” said Damián Zepeda, a senator from the opposition National Action Party, accusing López Obrador of breaking the laws. During his intervention, he tore up some papers and assured that the president “is going to do this to the document that they are going to approve (…) and he is going to throw it away.”

The National Regeneration Movement (Morena) had to negotiate for almost two weeks with opposition senators to obtain the necessary votes to approve the initiative. The first debate on the proposal took place on September 21, but was suspended because the ruling party did not have enough votes to carry it forward.

Hours before the Senate approved the constitutional reform, the Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez Human Rights Center called on legislators not to increase militarization in Mexico and, in a message on Twitter, said that the Army “is not incorruptible.” , as indicated by a report by a group of experts investigating the disappearance of 43 students eight years ago in southern Mexico, where some officers who are already detained were implicated.

For years, López Obrador defended the return of the military to the barracks, but in recent months the president has reversed his position, alleging that, given the upsurge in violence, the armed force is required to remain on the streets longer. . Since 2006, soldiers have played a key role in the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking.

Despite the extensive deployment of the National Guard, which last month came under the control of the Army, and other military forces in different states, insecurity has remained in Mexico.

In recent days, the Mexican Ministry of Defense has been involved in controversy after it was revealed that the Guacamaya hacker group managed to steal a large number of its emails. Local media released some of the stolen files, which include strategic plans for the armed forces and information on López Obrador’s health.

The Guacamaya group also hacked files from military and police agencies in Chile, Colombia, Peru and El Salvador.

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