Sheinbaum Militarizes 130,000-Member National Guard, Expands AI-Backed Surveillance Powers
Updated
Updated · zocalopublicsquare.org · May 21
Sheinbaum Militarizes 130,000-Member National Guard, Expands AI-Backed Surveillance Powers
4 articles · Updated · zocalopublicsquare.org · May 21
Less than a year after Congress put the National Guard under the Defense Ministry, Claudia Sheinbaum pushed reforms that fully militarize the force and require its chief to be a military officer.
The changes let the Guard conduct criminal investigations, join operations with civilian police, and use geolocation tracking and communications surveillance with judicial authorization.
A separate intelligence law creates a centralized data platform holding biometrics, financial records, telecom metadata and health information, while allowing security agencies to use AI and algorithms on that data without a warrant.
The Guard was created in 2019 as a civilian force, but census data shows 88% of its 130,000 members came from the military and all 33 top leadership posts were held by former army officers.
Critics say the package deepens a strategy begun under AMLO, weakens civilian oversight and risks civil liberties even as Sheinbaum argues stronger security tools are needed to curb cartel violence.
Will Mexico’s sweeping militarization and AI surveillance measures actually reduce cartel violence, or are they creating new risks to civil liberties and democracy?
Could AI-driven surveillance and the militarized National Guard inadvertently fuel new cycles of violence or empower criminal-government collusion, as history suggests?
Mexico’s New Security State: Expanded Military Role and AI Surveillance Threaten Democracy
Overview
Under President Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico has restructured its security strategy by giving the military a central role and introducing a sweeping new surveillance law. This shift was highlighted by the military’s high-profile operation against cartel leader 'El Mencho' and the tragic loss of National Guard troops in retaliatory attacks. The new intelligence law, passed in July 2025, allows authorities broad access to sensitive personal data without judicial approval, raising serious concerns about privacy and civil liberties. Together, these reforms mark a consolidation of state power, with profound implications for democracy and human rights in Mexico.