Mexican authorities announced last Friday (6) a plan to mobilize 100,000 security agents this summer in an attempt to stabilize the country and protect this year’s World Cup tournament following the death of a prominent cartel leader.
The widespread mobilization is a direct response to the wave of cartel violence across the country that erupted about two weeks ago in retaliation for the drug kingpin’s death, fueling skepticism about Mexico’s ability to protect the millions of fans expected for the world’s biggest sporting event.
General Román Villalvazo, the Mexican military leader who will oversee World Cup security operations in the country, detailed the security plans during a press conference on Friday morning.
The Mexican government said it will have around 100,000 members of the security forces, recruiting personnel from the Armed Forces, the Mexican Ministry of Security and private security companies. Forces will be heavily concentrated in the three host cities — Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey — and will be complemented by approximately 200 bomb-sniffing police dogs.
The government will also deploy more than 2,100 military vehicles, 24 aircraft and 33 drones, Villalvazo said. He added that Mexican authorities will establish security perimeters around points of interest in places like Guadalajara, including its airport and stadium.
“As you can see, we are very prepared for the World Cup,” said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum at the press conference.
Guadalajara, capital of the state of Jalisco, is the stronghold of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, a group led by Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, the drug trafficker known as El Mencho, who was killed in a Mexican military operation on February 22.
After his death, armed groups unleashed a wave of violence in 20 of Mexico’s 32 states, attacking security forces, blocking highways and setting fire to commercial establishments and vehicles. At least 62 people were killed.
Since then, some tourists and national soccer teams scheduled to play in Mexico have expressed concerns about traveling to the country.
The World Cup “represents an unprecedented event,” Villalvazo said, which will require the Mexican government to confront any threat to national security and “show a reliable, safe and organized Mexico.”
Mexican security forces began specialized training in January, he said, and plan to hold exercises later this month.
The World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Mexico will host 13 World Cup games: five in Mexico City, the capital, and four in Monterrey and Guadalajara. The country will be the first to host the World Cup three times. The five-week tournament will begin on June 11, when the Mexican team will face South Africa in Mexico City.
But before that, four qualifying matches will be held later this month in Monterrey and Guadalajara.
Mexican and FIFA (International Football Federation) authorities have sought to convey calm and insisted that the World Cup in Mexico is not at risk.
FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. But after the death of Oseguera Cervantes, the organization’s president, Gianni Infantino, said his organization had “full confidence” in Mexico and Sheinbaum’s government.
On Wednesday (4), Mexican authorities from the federal government and the three host cities met with FIFA representatives to coordinate security plans.
Mexico, which is already among the ten most visited countries in the world, received almost 50 million international tourists last year. Officials say they expect nearly 5.5 million visitors to the World Cup.
As a result, Mexican authorities launched advertising campaigns to promote security and combat disinformation.
The tourism departments of the states of Guerrero, Jalisco and Quintana Roo — the latter being home to beach destinations such as Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Tulum — have been publishing video testimonials from tourists saying how safe they felt in the days after Oseguera Cervantes’ death.
“Something happened,” said Michelle Fridman, Jalisco state tourism secretary, in an interview last week. “We are not denying it, and we also understand the concern that an unusual incident like this generates, because it is not something that happens every day.”
But, she said, the government’s response was swift and the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City lifted its travel restrictions within three days.
“Obviously we hope to regain people’s trust,” Fridman said.
