CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Mexico (AP) – Mexico has sent 10,000 National Guard and Army troops to its northern border after President Donald Trump’s recent tariff threats. On Wednesday, military vehicles rolled through Ciudad Juárez, across from El Paso, Texas, as armed and masked troops patrolled the area, removing makeshift ladders and ropes used for illegal crossings. Similar patrols were seen near Tijuana and other key border points.
The deployment follows a tense standoff after Trump agreed to delay steep tariffs on Mexico in exchange for stricter border security and a crackdown on fentanyl smuggling. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, in her first major foreign policy move, negotiated the agreement, pledging increased enforcement along the border. Meanwhile, the U.S. has committed to curbing the flow of American firearms into Mexico, which has fueled cartel violence.
On Tuesday, the first wave of troops arrived in key border cities, with Ciudad Juárez set to receive at least 1,650 personnel—one of the largest deployments, second only to Tijuana, which is expecting 1,949 troops.
During a recent diplomatic tour of Latin America, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed gratitude for Mexico’s efforts, according to an official government statement. Sheinbaum’s handling of the negotiations has been seen as a strategic move, easing doubts over her ability to manage U.S.-Mexico relations as effectively as her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
