Mexico’s Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla Trejo told President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning press conference on May 27 that intentional homicides in Baja California have fallen 42% since she took office. The daily average dropped from 5.9 killings in October 2024 to 3.4 in May 2026, Trevilla said, crediting nearly 4,840 Army and National Guard personnel now operating across the state.
Trevilla publicly praised Baja California Security Secretary Laureano Carrillo during the briefing. He also reported a 39% decline in high-impact crimes over the same 19-month period, attributing the numbers to coordinated operations between federal troops and state and municipal police forces.
Drug Seizures and Arrest Warrants
The Defense Ministry presented additional figures covering the first 19 months of the Sheinbaum administration. Federal forces in Baja California seized 34.4 tonnes of drugs and 1,553 weapons during that span. Authorities also executed 1,732 technical investigation and arrest warrants in the state.
The Baja California numbers track with national trends. At a May 12 press conference, security officials reported that 52,628 people had been arrested nationwide for high-impact crimes since Sheinbaum’s inauguration on October 1, 2024. National homicides in April averaged 52.5 per day, a 20.3% year-over-year drop and the lowest April figure since 2016.
Perception Gap Persists in Mexicali
The government’s own survey data tells a more complicated story on the ground. Insecurity perception in Mexicali stood at 73.8% as of March 2026. That figure dropped only 3.1 percentage points from December 2025, meaning roughly three out of four Mexicali residents still feel unsafe despite the improved crime statistics.
Baja California has been a consistent focus of the federal security strategy. In January 2026, homicides in the state were already down 28.9% compared to the same month a year earlier. President Sheinbaum visited Tijuana in February to announce those earlier gains, at the time calling the daily homicide average the lowest in nine years.
Heavy Military Footprint Continues
The deployment of nearly 4,840 troops to a single border state shows the depth of the militarized approach. Sheinbaum’s security strategy, as described by Security Minister Omar García Harfuch in February, relies on intelligence, criminal investigation, and coordinated territorial operations involving the Army, Navy, National Guard, and civilian agencies.
Baja California Sur, by contrast, recorded just two homicides statewide in April 2026, making it one of Mexico’s safest states by that measure. The sharp difference between the two Baja states persists even as the northern state posts significant declines.
The May 27 briefing data was first reported by Punto Norte.