CIUDAD JUAREZ — Forces from the United States and Mexico carried out security exercises this Thursday in the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez border area, where the Juárez cartel recently designated as a terrorist organization by Washington operates.
A month ago, President Donald Trump’s government added the Juárez cartel, until 20 years ago, one of the most powerful in Mexico, to the list of criminal gangs designated as terrorists.
The security exhibition in the United States was led by the Border Patrol and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE), while on the Mexican side the presence of the military and national guards stood out.
“We want to teach them, show them that we are all united,” said journalist Roberto Domínguez, deputy chief of the Border Patrol in El Paso, Texas.
“The border is safer than ever,” he added, highlighting that they are also working with Mexico to bring to justice drug and human traffickers who operate on the border.
Vehicles and helicopters toured Río Bravo
Numerous police and military vehicles from both countries traveled the dirt roads that border the Rio Grande, the natural border that is closely guarded by the United States, which a few meters away erected an impassable metal barrier to prevent the passage of undocumented migrants.
Helicopters also participated in the exercises that toured the border and from which they descended through personal ropes of the special forces.
Since his return to the US presidency in January 2025, Trump has complained about Mexico and warned it of imposing tariffs for not stopping the trafficking of migrants and drugs to the United States.
According to figures from last July from the United States Department of Homeland Security, migrant apprehensions by the Border Patrol fell 94% in Trump’s second term.
The Juárez cartel was one of the most powerful in Mexico, but it has been decimated by the capture of its leaders and its fights with other gangs.
Washington has designated the Los Viagras gang from Michoacán and the Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generación cartels, among others, as terrorists. The latter are considered the most powerful today.
