Mexico's law enforcement operates with three distinct powers of authority and jurisdiction: federal, state and municipal. With the recent reform of former president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Mexico's Federal Police, the agency was dissolved due to corruption, links with organized crime and similar issues. A new agency replaced the Federal Police which is the Mexican National Guard. [1]
There are two federal police forces, 31 state police forces including two for Mexico City, and (per an investigation of the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Safety System) 1,807 municipal police forces. There are 366 officers per 100,000 people, which equals approximately 500,000 in total.
Moreover, regarding federal law enforcement and defense, Mexico's government owns the Ministry of Security and Civilian Protection (Secretaría de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana - SSPC), the Ministry of National Defense, and the Ministry of Navy (Secretaría de Marina - SEMAR). The Mexican Army, Air Force, and its branch of the National Guard are managed by the Ministry of National Defense, commonly known as ‘SEDENA’ in Mexico. [2]
Furthermore, the National Public Security System formulates, executes, monitor and evaluate policies, programs and strategies regarding public safety. The secretariat, proposes, executes and evaluate the National Justice Procurement Program, the National Public Security Program and other programmatic instruments on the subject for Mexico. [3]
Additionally, the Federal Protection Service (Servicio de Protección Federal - SPF), National Intelligence Centre (Centro Nacional de Inteligencia - CNI), and other law enforcement agencies are overseen by the Ministry of Security and Civilian Protection. Furthermore, the ministry collaborates with the Attorney General Office of the Republic (Fiscalía General de la República - FGR) to solve cases and impose justice.
State and municipal law enforcement is divided into groups/teams/units in the Governor or Mayor's Ministry of Public Safety (Secretaría de Seguridad Publica—SSP). State and municipal law enforcement possess transit, special operations, proximity, and investigation—so it is called in Mexico. This information is generalized and can vary depending on each agency structure. [4]
Investigations in Mexico play a vital role in addressing crime and maintaining order. The federal government operates the Criminal Investigations Agency (Agencia de Investigaciones Criminales - AIC), which functions under the Prosecutor General’s Office (Fiscalía General de la República - FGR). These law enforcement investigators, commonly referred to as “ministerial officers” (ministeriales), handle criminal and cartel-related investigations. [5]
In addition to the AIC, other specialized agencies within the Prosecutor General’s Office focus on specific areas. For example, the Prosecutor’s Office Specialized in Organized Crime Matters (Fiscalía Especializada en Materia de Delincuencia Organizada - FEMDO) targets high-profile organized crime cases. Despite the presence of these dedicated branches, investigations in Mexico often face challenges such as lengthy processes and, in some cases, a backlog of unresolved cases. This issue is not universal but has been highlighted in studies as a concern that affects public confidence in the justice system. Strengthening and streamlining investigative processes remain critical for improving law enforcement effectiveness in Mexico.
While Mexico's approach on public safety depends on the military or "military police" at a federal level, the government operates with the National Institute of Migration (Instituto Nacional de Migración - INM) which is managed by the Ministry of Interior (Secretaría de Gobernación - SEGOB), tasked with preventing illegal immigration flowing to the United States and managing immigration policies within Mexico. The INM monitors and regulates the entry, stay, and exit of foreign nationals to ensure compliance with Mexican immigration laws. [6]
In collaboration with other federal agencies, the INM conducts border inspections, oversees temporary migration programs, and addresses human trafficking and smuggling networks. Additionally, it operates migrant detention centers and coordinates with international organizations to provide humanitarian aid to vulnerable migrants.
Additionally, the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (Secretaría de Hacienda y Credito Publico) through the Tax Administration Service (Servicio de Administración Tribunaria - SAT), works together with the National Guard and other security forces to combat tax crimes, such as smuggling or tax evasion. [7]
In recent decades, Mexico has increasingly relied on its military to combat organized crime and drug cartels. The 2006 declaration of a “war on drugs” marked a turning point, with thousands of soldiers deployed to regions plagued by cartel activity. The Mexican Army and Navy frequently collaborate with the National Guard for joint patrols. This does not necessarily imply the immediate presence of cartel activity or terrorism in the area. Rather, it is a proactive strategy aimed at combating organized crime and addressing the threats posed by cartels in Mexico. These efforts are focused on maintaining security, preventing escalation, and demonstrating the government’s commitment to protecting its citizens. [8]
Nevertheless, concerns have been raised among both Americans and Mexicans regarding Mexico's federal government’s new strategy of militarization. This includes the deployment of marines and the army to carry out police operations, a move that has sparked debates about its effectiveness and potential consequences. Critics argue that relying on the military for law enforcement could blur the lines between civil and military duties, potentially leading to human rights violations or an erosion of trust in local authorities. On the other hand, supporters view it as a necessary response to the escalating challenges posed by organized crime and violence, emphasizing the need for immediate and decisive action.
The Centro Nacional de Inteligencia or CNI, is a Mexican intelligence agency controlled by the Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection.
The attorney general of the Republic is the head of the Attorney General's Office(Fiscalía General de la República, FGR; prior to 2019, Procuraduría General de la República, PGR) and the Federal Public Ministry of the United Mexican States, an institution belonging to the Federal Government's constitutional autonomous organism that is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of federal crimes. The office is governed mainly by article 102 of the 1917 Constitution and the Organic Law of the Attorney General's Office.
Public security or public safety is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger, injury, or property damage. It is often conducted by a state government to ensure the protection of citizens, persons in their territory, organizations, and institutions against threats to their well-being, survival, and prosperity.
The Airport Security Police is an Argentine law enforcement agency created to protect and guard national public airports. It was the first federally owned police institution, managed by civilians, to be created after Argentina's return to democracy in 1983.
The National Police of Colombia is the national police force of the Republic of Colombia. Although the National Police is not part of the Military Forces of Colombia, it constitutes along with them the "Public Force" and is also controlled by the Ministry of Defense. The National Police is the only civilian police force in Colombia. The force's official functions are to protect the Colombian nation, enforce the law by constitutional mandate, maintain and guarantee the necessary conditions for public freedoms and rights and to ensure peaceful cohabitation among the population.
The Federal Police, formerly known as the Policía Federal Preventiva and sometimes referred to in the U.S. as "Federales", was a Mexican national police force formed in 1999. In 2019 it was incorporated into the National Guard and operated under the authority of the Department of Security and Civil Protection.
The Federal Ministerial Police is a Mexican federal agency tasked with fighting corruption and organized crime, through an executive order by President Felipe Calderón. The agency is directed by the Attorney General's Office (FGR) and may have been partly modeled on the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. PFM agents in action often wear masks to prevent themselves from being identified by gang leaders. PFM agents are uniformed when carrying out raids.
Airport police units are a security police agency assigned to perform law enforcement functions at airports. They provide a wide range of law enforcement duties and responsibilities including patrol, investigation, traffic flow management, and control and response to airport emergencies. Airport police provide enhanced safety to airport employees, and to passengers. Officers can be found at security gates, throughout the terminal area, and around the airport’s perimeter.
In many countries, particularly those with a federal system of government, there may be several law enforcement agencies, police or police-like organizations, each serving different levels of government and enforcing different subsets of the applicable law.
The Mexican Secretariat of Public Security or Secretariat of Public Safety, also known as Ministry of Public Security and Ministry of Public Safety, was the federal ministry of the Mexican Executive Cabinet that aimed to preserve freedom, order, and public peace and safeguard the integrity and rights of the people. The Assistant Attorney General uses the Powers of the Union to prevent the commission of crimes, develop public security policies of the Federal Executive, propose policies on crime, administer the federal prison system, and administer justice to juvenile offenders based on the Organic Law of the Federal Public Administration and other federal laws, regulations, decrees, agreements, and orders of the President of the Republic. It had its headquarters in Álvaro Obregón, Mexico City.
Law enforcement in Mexico City is provided by two primary agencies; the Secretariat of Citizen Security of Mexico City, who provides uniformed or preventative police, and the Office of the Attorney General of Mexico City who provides plainclothes detectives and crime lab services.
Alejandro Poiré Romero is a Mexican politician who served as the Secretary of the Interior in the cabinet of Felipe Calderón from 17 November 2011 to 1 December 2012, following the death of Francisco Blake Mora in a helicopter crash on 11 November 2011.
The National Police of Honduras is the uniformed police force of the Republic of Honduras. The force is organised into regional headquarters, municipal headquarters, headquarters of fixed or mobile stations, and police posts. There are at least 360 police centres throughout Honduras. The National Police of Honduras has its headquarters in Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras. The National Police of Honduras is the fourth largest police body in Central America by number of employees. It is the sixth largest force in Central America by police officers per capita. The force's patroness is the Virgin of Carmen. On 16 July of each year the "National Police Patroness Day" is celebrated.
On 6 April 2015, a convoy of the Jalisco State Police was ambushed by suspected members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a criminal group based in Jalisco. The attack occurred in a mountain road in San Sebastián del Oeste, Jalisco. Fifteen policemen were killed and five were wounded; no CJNG casualties were confirmed. According to police reports, as the police convoy reached a part of the road surrounded by mountains, the CJNG opened fire at the police units from the sides using high-caliber rifles, grenade launchers, and explosives with gasoline. The element of surprise prevented the police from repelling the aggression. The CJNG members burned several vehicles along the highway to halt reinforcements. The attack lasted roughly 30 minutes. When government reinforcements reached the scene, the CJNG gunmen had left.
On 19 March 2015, a convoy of the National Gendarmerie, a subdivision of the Mexican Federal Police (PF), was ambushed by gunmen of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a criminal group based in Jalisco, Mexico. The attack occurred in a residential neighborhood in Ocotlán, Jalisco. Five policemen, four CJNG gunmen, and two civilian bystanders were killed. According to police reports, as the PF convoy pulled up next to a parked vehicle, gunmen shot at them from the vehicle and from rooftops. The police attempted to shield themselves using their patrol cars, but reinforcements from the CJNG arrived at the scene and overwhelmed them. The shootout lasted between thirty minutes to two hours before the CJNG fled the scene.
The Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection is a cabinet-level agency of the government of Mexico responsible for supervising public safety and security, including the National Guard, National Intelligence Center and the penitentiary system. Its secretary was Alfonso Durazo until October 2020 when he resigned to run for governor of Sonora.
Víctor Manuel Vázquez Mireles is a Mexican drug lord and high-ranking member of the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group based in Tamaulipas, Mexico. Vázquez Mireles joined the cartel during the 1990s and was a trusted enforcer of former kingpin Osiel Cárdenas Guillén. He started his career in the cartel as one of his bodyguards and was eventually placed in charge of operations in Tamaulipas and Veracruz. He was reportedly responsible for supervising the purchase of drugs intended to be smuggled into the U.S. for distribution and for arranging the assistance of corrupt law enforcement officials in the cartel's operations.
María Antonieta Rodríguez Mata is a Mexican former police officer and convicted drug lord. She worked as a Tamaulipas State Police officer from 1992 to 1996. During her tenure in the police, she was subject to several investigations by the National Human Rights Commission for alleged human rights violations. In the late 1990s, she became involved with the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group based in Tamaulipas, Mexico, after being hired to work under the kingpin Osiel Cárdenas Guillén. She was responsible for coordinating drug trafficking shipments from Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico to the U.S. The drugs were often guarded by corrupt policemen and smuggled overland through Reynosa and McAllen, Texas. Her role in organized crime is unusual since she held a leadership role in the male-dominated Mexican drug trafficking industry.
