Mexico: Senate approves controversial security bill Dec. 15 /update 1

Event

Mexico's ruling Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) and upper house of Congress, the Senate, passed a controversial security bill on Friday, December 15, which will allow Mexican military forces to undertake law enforcement responsibilities. Critics of the law, including opposition parties and civil rights groups, claim that the policy will lead to the militarization of Mexican public security and the country as a whole. Supporters contend that the new law will provide the needed legal framework to thwart gang violence in areas where Mexican police forces are unable to effectively ensure public security.

Context

The lower house of Congress, the Chamber of Deputies, approved the bill on November 30.

The Mexican military has assisted local police forces in fighting gang violence and persistently high crime rates over the last decade, at the request of Mexican state governors and otherwise authorized by presidential order. Much of the violence that continues to afflict the country is driven by narco-trafficking. Clashes between narco-gangs and government forces are currently at the highest levels since former President Felipe Calderon's war against narco-trafficking (2008 to 2011). In addition, the capture and extradition of Joaquin Guzmán (El Chapo), the former leader of the Sinaloa cartel, has led rival groups to attempt to take advantage of the power vacuum and establish stronger criminal networks, leading to a rise in violent turf wars.

Advice

Due to extreme levels of violence linked to the presence of various armed groups, some Western governments advise against travel to a large portion of Mexican territory, including Guerrero, Michoacán, and Tamaulipas states, the northeastern border with the US, and, to a lesser extent, Baja California, Chihuahua, Colima, Durango, Jalisco, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Sinaloa, and Veracruz states.