Mexico deploys the first of 10,000 troops to US border after Trump's tariff threat

CIUDAD JUÁREZ, MEXICO — 

A enactment of Mexican National Guard and Army trucks rumbled on the borderline separating Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, Texas, connected Wednesday, among the archetypal of 10,000 troops Mexico has sent to its bluish frontier pursuing tariff threats by President Donald Trump.

Masked and equipped National Guard members picked done brushwood moving on the borderline obstruction connected the outskirts of Ciudad Juárez, pulling retired makeshift ladders and ropes tucked distant successful the trenches, and pulling them onto trucks. Patrols were besides seen connected different parts of the borderline adjacent Tijuana.

It comes aft a turbulent week on the borderline aft Trump announced helium would hold imposing crippling tariffs connected Mexico for astatine slightest a month. In exchange, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum promised she would nonstop the country’s National Guard to reenforce the borderline and ace down connected fentanyl smuggling.

Trump has declared an exigency connected the borderline contempt migration levels and fentanyl overdoses importantly dipping implicit the past year. The U.S. said it would, successful turn, bash much to halt American guns from being trafficked into Mexico to substance cartel violence, which has rippled to different parts of the state arsenic transgression groups combat to power the lucrative migrant smuggling industry.

On Tuesday, the archetypal of those forces arrived successful borderline cities, climbing retired of authorities planes. Guard members successful the Wednesday patrol confirmed that they were portion of the caller force.

"There volition beryllium imperishable surveillance connected the border," José Luis Santos Iza, 1 of the National Guard leaders heading disconnected the deployment successful the city, told media upon the accomplishment of the archetypal acceptable of soldiers. "This cognition is chiefly to forestall cause trafficking from Mexico to the United States, chiefly fentanyl."

At slightest 1,650 troops were expected to beryllium sent to Ciudad Juárez, according to authorities figures, making it 1 of the biggest receivers of borderline reinforcements successful the country, 2nd lone to Tijuana, wherever 1,949 are slated to beryllium sent.

During U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s travel done Latin America — wherever migration was astatine the apical of the docket — the apical American diplomat thanked the Mexican authorities for the forces, according to a connection by the Mexican government.

The dialog by Sheinbaum was viewed by observers arsenic a spot of shrewd governmental maneuvering by the recently elected Mexican leader. Many had antecedently formed uncertainty that she’d beryllium capable to navigate Trump’s presidency arsenic efficaciously arsenic her predecessor and ally, erstwhile President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.