Mexico: Lower house passes controversial security bill Nov. 30

Event

Mexico's ruling Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) and lower house of Congress, the Chamber of Deputies, passed a controversial security bill on Thursday, November 30, which would allow Mexican military forces to undertake law enforcement responsibilities. Critics of the bill, including opposition parties and civil rights groups, claim that the policy, if implemented, would lead to the militarization of Mexican public security and the country as a whole. Supporters of the law contend that the bill would provide a needed legal framework to thwart gang violence in areas where Mexican police forces are unable to effectively ensure public security. Proponents of the bill reportedly seek to pass it in the Mexican Senate by Friday, December 15.

Context

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.