**Senate Declares Constitutional Reforms to National Guard Without Opposition Presence**
On September 29, 2024, the Senate of the Republic declared the constitutional validity of reforms concerning the National Guard and the rights of indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities. This declaration followed the approval from 26 state legislatures, including Baja California, Chiapas, Chihuahua, and others.
José Gerardo Rodolfo Fernández Noroña, the president of the Senate’s Directive Board, listed the entities that approved the reforms. Following this declaration, these documents will be forwarded to the House of Representatives and, upon acquiring the required signatures, will be sent to the President for publication in the Official Gazette.
Notably absent from the session were opposition parties, including PAN, PRI, and MC, who had announced their boycott days earlier. The opposition parties criticized the reforms, stating they oppose the militarization of the National Guard, arguing it should remain a civil institution.
The PAN declared their refusal to support what they see as a failed security strategy that overburdens the armed forces instead of strengthening civil police forces. Ivonne Aracelly Ortega Pacheco of Movimiento Ciudadano echoed similar sentiments, protesting the continuation of unsuccessful tactics. PRI’s Rafael Alejandro Moreno Cárdenas argued that this move signals a dependency on military control due to weak civil institutions.
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