Mexico's Senate votes to hand over National Guard to army

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s Senate passed a bill early Friday handing control of the country’s recently created National Guard over to the military.

When the National Guard was created under a Constitutional reform in 2019, it was placed under civilian control. But most of its training and recruitment has been done from within the army.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says the guard must now be under military command, to prevent corruption. The lower house of Congress already approved the measure, and López Obrador is expected to sign it into law.

Opposition parties said late Thursday they will file court appeals, claiming the measure violates the Constitutional guarantee on civilian control.