Dissent in the ranks: National Guard soldiers speak out against militarization in Mexico
In exclusive interviews with Courthouse News, navy sailors incorporated into the National Guard described corruption, low pay and poor quality of services since the force initiated its transfer to the Secretariat of National Defense.
CODY COPELAND / October 26, 2022
Mexican National Guard troops fill a street in downtown Mexico City while waiting to participate in the country's annual Independence Day military parade on Sep. 16, 2022. (Cody Copeland/Courthouse News)
MEXICO CITY (CN) — “We live under threat,” said Miguel, who preferred to not give his last name out of fear of retaliation from his superiors. “We see a lot of corruption inside the institution.”
When the 28-year-old sailor from Mexico’s Secretariat of the Navy (Semar) was first incorporated into the National Guard in 2019, Miguel saw the move as an opportunity to fulfill his duty to his country and his branch of the armed forces.
“I felt I had to do my best, but now we’re getting screwed trying to conform to the whims of the president,” he said in an exclusive interview with Courthouse News.
The National Guard was established as a civil security force in 2019. Previously a staunch opponent of what he decried as the militarization of his predecessors, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador now believes more army involvement in everything from public safety to construction to tourism is what Mexico needs.
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