Mexico’s Senate has unanimously approved a watered-down version of the militarized National Guard the government wants to use to combat a rising wave of crime.
Senators want to avoid militarizing law enforcement, but President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador wants a force with military discipline.
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The senate voted to place the new guard under the civilian public safety department. But members will initially come from federal and military police units and will have joint military-civilian command and training.
The bill also places a five-year limit on using the military for police duties.
Because it changed a version passed earlier by the lower house, the bill will apparently have to return to a conference committee. Because it involves constitutional changes, it must still be approved by a majority of state legislatures.
