A convoy of Mexican National Guard and Army trucks patrolled the border between Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday, marking the first wave of 10,000 troops deployed to Mexico’s northern frontier in response to U.S. tariff threats.
Masked and armed National Guard members combed through brush along the border barrier, removing makeshift ladders and ropes hidden in trenches before loading them onto trucks. Similar patrols were spotted in other high-traffic areas near Tijuana.
The deployment follows a week of tense negotiations after U.S. President Donald Trump announced he would delay imposing tariffs on Mexican goods for at least a month. In exchange, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to send the National Guard to bolster border security and crack down on fentanyl smuggling.
Trump has maintained that the U.S. border remains in a state of emergency, despite official data showing declines in migration and fentanyl-related overdoses over the past year. As part of the agreement, the U.S. also pledged to increase efforts to curb the flow of American firearms into Mexico, where cartel violence continues to escalate.
On Tuesday, the first wave of National Guard troops arrived in border cities, disembarking from government aircraft. Troops confirmed their mission during Wednesday’s patrols.
“There will be permanent surveillance on the border,” José Luis Santos Iza, a National Guard commander overseeing the deployment in Ciudad Juárez, told reporters. “This operation is primarily to prevent drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States, mainly fentanyl.”
Government figures show Ciudad Juárez will receive at least 1,650 troops, making it one of the largest recipients of reinforcements, second only to Tijuana, which is set to receive 1,949 personnel.
During U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent diplomatic tour of Latin America, where migration was a key topic, the Mexican government said Rubio expressed gratitude for Mexico’s efforts to tighten border security.
The move by Sheinbaum, Mexico’s newly elected leader, has been interpreted as a strategic political maneuver. Analysts had questioned whether she could handle negotiations with the Trump administration as effectively as her predecessor and ally, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
By securing a delay in U.S. tariffs while avoiding direct confrontation, Sheinbaum’s approach signals a pragmatic stance toward U.S.-Mexico relations, a dynamic likely to remain crucial as Trump’s presidency progresses.
