Mexico’s Defense Ministry (SEDENA) mobilized 1,170 military personnel on March 19 to reinforce security in three cities, with 270 troops assigned to Tijuana to combat escalating criminal violence. The Tijuana troop deployment is part of a broader operation that also sent soldiers to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, and León, Guanajuato.
Three Air Force Planes Carried Troops to Three Cities
SEDENA used three Mexican Air Force strategic transport aircraft to move the soldiers to all three municipalities. The operation targets turf wars between criminal organizations fighting for control of drug trafficking routes, street-level dealing, and extortion rackets in each city.
Tijuana, Mexico’s busiest border crossing point with the United States, has long struggled with cartel violence tied to its position along major drug corridors into Southern California. The city recorded 2,518 homicides in its worst year on record (2018), and periodic surges in violence have prompted repeated federal interventions since then.
Tijuana Has Seen Multiple Federal Deployments
This is not the first time the federal government has sent large military contingents to the city. In February 2019, then-President López Obrador ordered 1,800 military and police personnel to Tijuana after the 2018 murder spike. Earlier this year, Mexico deployed 10,000 National Guard troops to its northern border in a separate operation focused on migration enforcement and fentanyl interdiction.
The March 19 deployment appears focused on internal security rather than border enforcement. SEDENA’s announcement specifically cited territorial disputes between rival criminal groups as the trigger. Tijuana residents who cross regularly at the San Ysidro or Otay Mesa ports of entry may encounter increased military checkpoints along major routes, including the Tijuana-Rosarito corridor and the Zona Río area near the border.
Ciudad Juárez and León, the other two cities receiving reinforcements, also face persistent cartel turf battles. Ciudad Juárez remains one of Mexico’s deadliest cities, while León has seen rising homicide rates tied to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel’s expansion into Guanajuato.
SEDENA did not specify how the remaining 900 troops were divided between Ciudad Juárez and León, or how long the deployment would last, according to Zeta Tijuana.