Mexico Plans To Deploy 100,000 Security Forces To Ensure Calm During World Cup After Killing Of El Mencho

Mexico is set to deploy 100,000 security forces to ensure calm during the World Cup this summer after the killing of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho" and longtime leader of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, the government said.

Gen. Román Villalvazo, who will be tasked with the security operation during the World Cup, said forces will be drawn from the military, members of the country's security ministry and private security firms. Most of them will be in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, where the matches will be played.

The country will also deploy more than 2,000 military vehicles, 24 aircraft and 33 drones. There will be checkpoints around key points such as airports and stadiums.

Questions about the country's preparedness to host the World Cup arose last month after the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion staged roadblocks throughout the country over the killing of El Mencho.

However, officials were quick to provide reassurances. "We are under the microscope. FIFA doesn't just ask for beautiful stadiums; they ask for life guarantees. We have had to explain in detail how our security plan is working and how the death of high-priority targets is part of a strategy to weaken structures that threaten peace," Miguel Andrés Hernández, the Undersecretary of Tourism for the State of Jalisco, told Latin Times.

He also shared details about security measures taken in recent weeks: "We are not sitting around waiting for the storm to pass. We are doubling the number of surveillance cameras connected to roads between the stadium and hotels."

According to local media, the Jalisco government invested around 3.5 billion Mexican pesos (approximately USD$180 million) in improving infrastructure for the games and for tourists arriving during the World Cup season.

Hernández added that the government is implementing "more patrols, more technology, and unprecedented coordination with U.S. and Canadian intelligence agencies."

Jaime Rascón Mendizábal, Director of Brand Promotion and Protection for tourism in Mexico City, told Latin Times that the strategy is "based on a firm hand and total coordination between federal, state, and local governments to provide life guarantees for everyone involved in this event."

"The conditions are set. FIFA has already visited and validated our progress. We are prepared to show that Mexico is a safe and world-class host, focusing on a governance strategy that ensures a successful event," Rascón concluded.