A photographer with a subject in the city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, which has no regular police force. The Mexican army and federal police patrol the streets. Stefan Falke/Fronteras Desk/Flickr. Some rights reserved.Mexico decided over ten years ago to militarize their drug policies and rely on the armed forces to conduct counter-narcotic operations and other public safety tasks. The so-called “war on drugs” has taken since then a very real dimension in the country.
Shortly after taking power in December 2006, President Felipe Calderon ordered a military offensive against the country’s drug cartels that eventually involved tens of thousands of troops undertaking tasks that should normally be performed by civilian forces. In only a matter of days, more than 30.000 soldiers were deployed in different cities around the country. This number has grown to over 96,000 soldiers carrying out public security tasks. Keeping drugs away from Mexico’s children has been a central justification.
Keeping drugs away from Mexico’s children has been a central justification.
