Protector or Abuser? Mexico’s National Guard murders more innocent civilians

Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) – On April 16, members of Mexico’s National Guard, which is under the control of the Armed Forces (Sedena), opened fire on a 2001 Chevrolet Tahoe truck in Tamaulipas, where a family of five, including a pregnant girl under 15 years old, was traveling.

The incident took place on the Mex II bypass, south of Nuevo Laredo, and resulted in the death of Jesús Felipe ‘G,’ who had two bullet wounds to the right hip and thigh. Miriam Mariana ‘F,’ the pregnant teenager also died, along with her unborn child.

Luis Adán ‘R,’ who was shot in the back, is in critical condition due to a lung injury. The other crew members, Leonel ‘P’ and Verónica Patricia ‘T,’ also sustained bullet wounds.

The incident occurred when the family’s truck was intercepted by National Guard members who started shooting at them until the vehicle came to a stop. Eyewitnesses to the situation called emergency services, who transferred the injured to the General Hospital for treatment. According to Miriam Mariana ‘F,’ the National Guard chased them for several kilometers and fired shots in the process.

Following the incident, the Tamaulipas Attorney General’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic initiated an investigation.

This isn’t the first time the National Guard has acted against civilians.

In October 2022, a couple was traveling in their truck in the state of Jalisco when National Guard members chased them and fired at their vehicle, killing a pregnant minor.

The National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) established that the National Guard’s actions constituted an “illegal and excessive use of lethal force,” which violated the human right to life, integrity, personal security, and legality of the victims. The CNDH requested that the affected individuals and indirect victims be included in the National Registry of Victims for compensation and that the SSPC collaborate with the presentation and follow-up of the complaint against the responsible National Guard members.

In April 2022, a student at The University of Guanajuato was gunned down in his truck by the National Guard, in another incident where the Guard undertook the job of traffic police in the growing militarization of the country.

In a statement issued by the National Guard, the agent fired his gun because the movements of the boys’ truck generated “confusion and uncertainty.” The killed student, Ángel Rangel, was 19 years old and studying agronomy. His partner was seriously injured. A third student was uninjured.

Between January and August 2022, the National Guard received 309 complaints of human rights violations, making it the institution with the most such complaints among those involved in security and the use of force in Mexico.

These incidents are just the latest examples of the National Guard’s alleged use of excessive force against civilians in Mexico. Despite its creation in 2019 as part of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s plan to address the country’s rampant violence and crime, the National Guard has been plagued by reports of human rights violations, corruption, and collusion with criminal organizations.

Critics argue that the militarization of law enforcement in Mexico, through the deployment of the National Guard and the use of the Armed Forces to combat crime, has only worsened the situation by increasing the risk of human rights violations and eroding trust in the government.

In response to these concerns, the CNDH has repeatedly called for the government to implement measures to ensure that law enforcement agencies, including the National Guard, respect human rights and adhere to the rule of law. The CNDH has also called for greater transparency and accountability in investigations into human rights violations committed by law enforcement personnel.

The Mexican government has taken some steps to address these issues, such as the creation of a National Guard human rights division and the establishment of protocols for the use of force. However, many human rights organizations and experts argue that more needs to be done to ensure that law enforcement agencies in Mexico respect human rights and are held accountable for abuses.

The incidents in Tamaulipas and Jalisco are a tragic reminder of the urgent need for reform and accountability in Mexico’s law enforcement agencies. Only by addressing the root causes of violence and crime, and ensuring that law enforcement agencies are held to the highest standards of professionalism, transparency, and respect for human rights, can Mexico hope to achieve a safer and more just society.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador formed the National Guard by dissolving the Federal Police, the most corrupt and distrusted branch of police units in the country, and placed those same officers in military uniforms and issued them military-style weapons.