HomeNewsBriefPeña Nieto to Deploy Military Until 2014: Congressman
BRIEF

Peña Nieto to Deploy Military Until 2014: Congressman

MEXICO / 31 AUG 2012 BY CLAIRE O'NEILL MCCLESKEY EN

A Mexican congressman recently asserted that under president-elect Enrique Peña Nieto, the military will remain on Mexico's streets until at least 2014, further indication that Peña Nieto's security strategy will not differ too dramatically from President Felipe Calderon's.

The chair of the security commision of the lower house of Congress, Rogelio Cerda, stated that Peña Nieto will continue to deploy Mexico's military against organized crime for at least two more years.

During this time, the government will pursue a plan to consolidate municipal and state police forces, a proposal known as the “mando unico,” and to establish a system for sharing intelligence among government agencies, Cerda added.

InSight Crime Analysis

Cerda's statements again appear to confirm that Peña Nieto's security strategy will not differ too dramatically from Calderon's. Peña Nieto criticized his predecessor's hardline strategies during the early months of the presidential campaign, but later declared his support for the continued use of Mexico's military to fight organized crime.

However, there have been a few hints that Peña Nieto will deviate from Calderon on other security issues. In July, US congressman Henry Cuellar (Rep, Texas), a close associate of Peña Nieto, reported that the president-elect plans to implement a strategy to pursue the smaller local gangs that have caused kidnapping and extortion to rise in Mexico in recent years. Peña Nieto has also said he intends to prioritize lowering murder, kidnapping, and extortion rates, rather than focusing on capturing drug lords and interdicting shipments. This marks a shift away from Calderon’s “kingpin” strategy.

While Peña Nieto may argue that deploying the armed forces is only necessary until the “mando unico” can be implemented, his government will likely face the same difficulties as the previous administration did in passing significant police reform: namely, the lack of a congressional majority.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Tags

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

MÉXICO / 25 MAR 2022

According to the Mexican president, the recent arrest of the alleged leader of the Northeast Cartel followed by a major…

DISPLACEMENT / 26 JUL 2021

Amid government inaction, Indigenous communities in the highlands of Mexico’s southern state of Chiapas are throwing their support behind a…

FENTANYL / 21 JAN 2022

Chinese companies are turning to online sales to supply the fentanyl precursor market in Mexico. As a result, more criminal…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.