Explained: Why is Mexico City deploying National Guard in its metro system?

Thousands of members of the National Guard will be deployed to stations and other facilities of Mexico City's metro system following a series of serious incidents. Mexico City's mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday (January 12) that she asked President Manuel Lopez Obrador for the support of the National Guard after a series of 'atypical episodes', a report by news agency Reuters on Friday (January 13) said. The deployment in the capital's metro system comes almost a week after two metro trains collided in a tunnel on January 7, killing one woman and injuring 57 others. This was the most serious accident after a section of the elevated track collapsed in May 2021, killing 26 people and injuring dozens. 

Why is the deployment of the National Guard being done?

As mentioned before, the deployment comes following a series of serious incidents seen on the Mexico City Metro including the horrific crash on January 7. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said that other less serious incidents, including problems with wheels, had been reported in recent months, a report by news agency AFP on Friday said. The mayor added the same day (January 7) the two trains collided, another problem occurred at another metro station, followed by another incident the next day and another two days back (on January 11) involving a train car which had been serviced a day before, Reuters reported. 

How many members of the National Guard will be deployed?

Around 6,000 members of the National Guard will be deployed in Mexico City's metro system. Mayor Sheinbaum tweeted that the objective of the guards is to guarantee the safety of users and they will be unarmed. She also pointed out the guards will be deployed for a few months aiding surveillance and security and could stay there permanently pending later evacuation. 

What do passengers have to say about the deployment?

Speaking to Reuters, Lucia Corsas, a passenger, said the deployment of the National Guard in Mexico City's metro is ''very good." "I think the metro needs maintenance, but it's a lot of a coincidence that so many events are happening recently. Mainly, because of the political issues that occurred recently, but I also think this would be a bit paranoid. We better should focus on what we can do, which is to repair some issues of the metro, and I think the deployment of the National Guard is very good," Corsas said. 

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Another passenger Diego Alberto Lara, while lauding the decision said the presence of the National Guard would provide more safety in the metro. "Once I got assaulted in the metro, I told the police and they ignored it. And regarding what's happening - I don't think it was sabotage, it was a shortcut or something because there are rodents on the train tracks and they bite the cables. This is what provokes shortcuts," Lara told the news agency. 

Are there any concerns?

Political opponents of President Manuel Lopez Obrador have accused him of overseeing the "militarization" of Mexico by giving increased responsibility to the armed forces, the AFP report on Friday said. Commenting on the National Guard's deployment in the metro, Obrador hit back at his opponents by saying, "If they call that militarisation or whatever they call it, we assume responsibility."

Meanwhile, Amnesty International expressed concerns about the decision as it called for a guarantee that public security tasks are carried out by civil institutions.
 
(With inputs from agencies)

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