Morena imposes control of the Army over the National Guard

Mexico City.- The Chamber of Deputies approved the amendment to secondary laws that gives the Ministry of National Defense full control of the National Guard.

The reform also leaves the Secretary of Security without a civilian police force to attend to the country’s public security.

The parliamentary coordinator of Morena, Ignacio Mier, assumed as his own the presidential initiative that came to the Chamber last Wednesday, August 31, and presented it as his own, asking that an urgent resolution be addressed, that paperwork be dispensed with and that a vote be taken.

It was agreed to vote on 4 separate laws, because parties of the Va por México alliance only agreed to endorse the reforms to the Law on Promotions and Rewards of the Mexican Army and Air Force.

This Law of Ascents was approved with 458 votes in favor, one abstention and 26 against, of which 25 are from Movimiento Ciudadano and one from Morenista Inés Parra.

With this, the service time of the Mexican Army and Air Force personnel assigned in the GN is homologated, as service time in their respective Institution.

Everything else was voted down by the Opposition, but passed by the majority bloc.

The Organic Law of the Federal Public Administration establishes that Sedena is empowered to exercise operational and administrative control over the National Guard.

This law was approved with 265 votes in favor, 221 against and two abstentions.

In addition, the National Guard Law establishes that the head of the National Defense Secretariat will have the same power to exercise operational and administrative control of the corporation, “within the framework of the National Public Security Strategy and when the Head of the Federal Executive Orders that he participate in the assistance of the Armed Forces in the exercise of their missions”.

It was approved with 267 votes in favor, 222 against and one abstention.

This reform provides that Sedena will be responsible for issuing organization, procedure and service manuals, operating programs and strategies; and authorize plans and programs for the admission, education, training, specialization and professionalization of the personnel of the GN.

The Organic Law of the Mexican Army and Air Force empowers military personnel to carry out “support operations” for public security institutions; and personnel assigned to the GN are recognized as active Army personnel.

This reform was endorsed with 267 votes in favor, 220 against and one abstention.

In transitory articles it is specified that the soldiers who are currently in the National Guard will continue in that condition under the command of the Commander of said institution.

The 9 transitory articles were approved with 265 votes in favor, 219 against and one abstention.

In a document that was distributed among deputies from Morena on the content of the proposal, where they are asked to vote in favor, the main proposal was omitted to be included and explained: that Sedena takes control of the National Guard.

The coordinator of Morena, Ignacio Mier, assured that with the reform, legal and administrative certainty is being given to the GN, to guarantee one of the obligations of the State, that of protecting the freedoms and heritage of Mexicans.

Opposition deputies announced that they will appeal to the Court, considering that President López Obrador’s reform is unconstitutional.

Before the vote, PAN member Margarita Zavala charged that López Obrador’s proposal means the state’s surrender to organized crime.

“They don’t know what to do and they leave the responsibility of the Government to the Army. It doesn’t solve the problem of organized crime or violence.

“It does not benefit the citizens, it does not benefit the Army, the Sedena, the National Guard, the Security Secretariat, it does not benefit the soldiers, the sailors,” he said.

He also said that they want to pass all the responsibility for security failures to the Army and considered that this is not fair.

He claimed that such a reform is made, after having tied the hands of the military, because they have been ordered not to intervene when they go to areas of violence, which, he even affirmed, has humiliated them.

The morenista Mario Llergo responded that the oracles of disaster do not have and have plenty of cynicism.

“Have they forgotten that in the government of Felipe Calderón they took the Army out into the streets to wage a failed war against organized crime and that it bathed the country in blood? Have they forgotten it?” he complained.

Jorge Triana, vice coordinator of the PAN, recalled that the Constitution clearly states that the National Guard must be civilian in nature and should be attached to the Ministry of Public Security.

“They say, they have the gall to say that they are not militarizing, they assign the National Guard to the Sedena, but they are not militarizing.

“Gentlemen, Andrés Manuel López Obrador is the most militaristic President in the history of this country and that is a fait accompli as of today,” he assured.

For MC, the coordinator Jorge Álvarez Máynez accused that the way in which the initiative was presented is an outrage and an outrage against the Legislative Power, a violation of the Constitution and a betrayal of the country for promoting that the GN remain in the hands of the Sedena .

“Today there are two options that are going to go down in history, either the Constitution is defended or Mexico is betrayed. What they are doing is treason against the homeland, perpetuating the war,” he said, announcing that it will be a reform that will go straight to court.

Salvador Caro, also from MC, accused that a “Castrochavista” gibberish was presented and considered that it is the most dangerous reform that has reached the Chamber of Deputies.

“The PRD will not be an accomplice of the new presidential political artifice. It is the Government of the unfulfilled promise, the reform in secondary laws reflects the failure of the official party’s security strategy,” assured Francisco Javier Huacus.

The PRD showed on the platform images of President López Obrador and the leader of Morena, Mario Delgado, rejecting the militarization of the Peña Nieto government.

PRI and Morena promote constitutional reform

For the PRI, deputy Carlos Iriarte asked to consider his party’s proposal to extend the time in which the military may participate in public security tasks to 9 years, a time that ends in March 2024.

“It cannot give an opportunity to build civilian police forces and not put the Armed Forces at risk is the objective of this initiative. This reform project recognizes in itself successes and failures and points out inconsistencies and identifies instruments and methods that must continue to be exercised,” indicated when requesting that the GN be civilian.

He assured that the reform of President López Obrador is contrary to the Constitution and does not address the problem of security.

The Morena deputy, Juan Ramiro Robledo, assured that the National Guard will continue to be civilian, although he acknowledged that it will be under the control of the Sedena.

“There is a civilian President who appoints a civilian commander, there is a Public Security Secretariat that will direct the national public security strategy, develop the criminal programs and policy, and direct the security cabinet.

“And there is a Sedena that is going to operate, to operate the operation and organization of the National Guard for a certain time,” he said.

He also stated that they will accept the PRI’s initiative to extend the military’s time in security work.

“Today, today, until March of the year 24, if that initiative of the PRI is approved, if we try it, then it will be extended, I think for the good of Mexico, that inter that today allows the Executive to have the office with three secretaries to such an important function that is that of public security,” he stated.