MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies passed a bill late Friday that brings the national guard under control of the Defense Ministry in a move likely to be challenged in court.
The bill, which now goes to the Senate, is another step in President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s increasing militarization of the country’s life, according to the opposition, which voted against the proposal.
Lopez Obrador said last month he expected the opposition to challenge the bill in the Supreme Court. The constitution designates the guard as a civilian organization, but Lopez Obrador’s ruling coalition didn’t have the votes to pass a constitutional amendment, instead fast tracking the proposal through Congress.
