Mexico deploys first of 10,000 National Guard officers to US border

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum promised she would send the officers to reinforce the border after tariff threats by US President Donald Trump.

Mexican National Guards arrive in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico (Christian Chavez/AP)

Mexico has sent the first of 10,000 National Guard officers to the northern frontier following tariff threats by US President Donald Trump.

A line of Mexican National Guard and Army trucks rumbled along the border separating Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas on Wednesday.

Masked and armed National Guard members picked through brush running along the border barrier on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, pulling out makeshift ladders and ropes tucked away in the trenches and pulling them onto trucks.

Patrols were also seen on other parts of the border near Tijuana.

The Anapra neighborhood of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, is seen behind the border wall in Sunland Park, New Mexico — The Anapra neighbourhood of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, is seen behind the border wall in Sunland Park, New Mexico (Andres Leighton/AP)

It comes after a turbulent week along the border after Mr Trump announced he would delay imposing crippling tariffs on Mexico for at least a month.

In exchange, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum promised she would send the country’s National Guard to reinforce the border and crack down on fentanyl smuggling.

Mr Trump has declared an emergency on the border, despite migration levels and fentanyl overdoses significantly dipping over the past year. The US said it would, in turn, do more to stop American guns from being trafficked into Mexico to fuel cartel violence, which has rippled to other parts of the country as criminal groups fight to control the lucrative migrant smuggling industry.

On Tuesday, the first of those forces arrived in border cities, climbing out of government planes. Guard members in the Wednesday patrol confirmed they were part of the new force.

At least 1,650 officers were expected to be sent to Ciudad Juarez, according to government figures, making it one of the biggest receivers of border reinforcements in the country, second only to Tijuana, where 1,949 personnel are expected to be sent.

During secretary of state Marco Rubio’s trip through Latin America – where migration was at the top of the agenda – he thanked the Mexican government for the forces, according to a statement by the Mexican government.

The negotiation by Ms Sheinbaum was viewed by observers as a bit of shrewd political manoeuvring by the newly elected Mexican leader. Many had previously cast doubt that she would be able to navigate Mr Trump’s presidency as effectively as her predecessor and ally, former president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.