SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Mexico has sent 1,000 members of its National Guard to Tijuana to help patrol the city and the border, according to Tijuana Mayor Ismael Burgueño Ruiz.
Some reporters who have witness the arrival of the troops say the actual figure is about 500 soldiers, far less than 1,000.
There’s also questions about whether the new arrivals are in addition to the 2,500 troops already in Northern Baja, or are they replacing guard members who are rotating out.
The Mexican federal government has not released details about the newly-arrived soldiers’ mission or assignments.
Burgueño Ruiz has said the National Guard will coordinate with state and local agencies to develop a plan to “better protect citizenry.”
He did admit some of the soldiers will be deployed to the immediate border area in the Tijuana region.
“Our citizens can feel more at ease, there’s going to be a large presence of law enforcement and we’re all going to work as a team,” said Burgueño Ruiz.
The city of Tecate, about 60 miles east of Tijuana, has been sent 200 National Guard troops.
Tecate Mayor Eduardo Macías Flores says the troops will be stationed at the border barrier to prevent migrants and drugs from getting north of the border.
Some migrant shelter operators and citizen safety groups have said there needs to be a pledge from the National Guard to respect the public’s and migrants’ human rights and private property.
They fear more corruption, according to José María García Lara, who runs the Alianza Migrante de Tijuana shelter.
“It’s going to get more complicated the way we see it, especially human rights for those who are simply looking for an opportunity to better their lives,” said García Lara. “There have been many instances where soldiers simply look for migrants to prey on.”
García Lara, who is also a community activist, says he fears members of the National Guard will extort and steal from migrants as they try to get beyond the border barriers and into the U.S.
“I just hope they don’t trample on people’s human rights, especially here in Baja California where there is a lot of that already,” he said, “We are demanding migrants’ rights be respected.”
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