Residents of the border town blame the Mezican army and guard for tragic deaths

Residents of the border town of Nuevo Laredo are protesting the deaths of a nurse and an 8-year-old girl and demanding accountability in the violence-torn city.

Human rights activists and family members in the violence-plagued Mexican border town of Nuevo Laredo are sounding the alarm over the deaths of a nurse and an 8-year-old girl, attributing their deaths to military and National Guard operations in pursuit of suspected drug cartel vehicles. The grim incidents have reignited debates over the role of the armed forces in civilian law enforcement in Mexico, particularly as the country grapples with the pervasive influence of drug cartels.

Civilian casualties in firefights

The victims were reportedly caught in the crossfire during violent clashes between military patrols and suspected cartel operatives. The Nuevo Laredo Human Rights Committee issued a statement over the weekend confirming that a third civilian was killed in a separate military chase in the city. The National Guard, a military-trained unit under the supervision of the Defense Department, has come under scrutiny for its conduct.

Civil prosecutors in Tamaulipas, where Nuevo Laredo is located, have yet to confirm or deny the incidents on Friday and Saturday. Federal prosecutors and the Defense Ministry also remained silent in the face of growing public outrage.

The recent incidents underline the military’s responsibility

If confirmed, these shootings would be the second case in two weeks of Mexican forces being involved in civilian deaths. This worrying trend includes the deaths of three children or teenagers linked to military action, after six migrants – including an 11-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy – were killed by soldiers in Chiapas on October 1.

The first tragic incident in Nuevo Laredo occurred late Friday evening when a nurse, her husband and son accidentally drove into an area where soldiers were pursuing suspected criminals. Víctor Carrillo Martínez, the late nurse’s husband, told local media: “There was a confrontation,” adding that his wife was killed “in the crossfire.”

Martínez criticized the soldiers, saying they passed by without help: “They left as if nothing had happened.” He reported that his wife suffered a gunshot wound to the head, and health experts told him that “they were large-caliber bullets that were used by soldiers”.

An innocent child is caught in the crossfire

The situation escalated the following day when an 8-year-old girl and her grandmother drove to a stationery store. They got into a military chase when a military vehicle chased an SUV and their car became trapped between the two. The grandmother recounted the shocking moment: “When I looked, the car was covered in blood. I looked at the girl and said, ‘She’s bleeding to death.'”

Despite her desperate cries for help, she complained: “I screamed, screamed at the soldiers, but because they wouldn’t stop, they didn’t help me.” There was confusion as to whether the perpetrators were soldiers or National Guard officers. since the latter has largely been made up of military personnel and trained as soldiers since its founding in 2019.

Military Oversight and Accountability

In another incident, the Human Rights Committee reported that the tortured body of a young man was discovered in a truck that had previously been pursued by the military and National Guard, and that no weapons were found in the vehicle. The alarming pattern of violence raises serious questions about the Mexican military’s role in civilian law enforcement, particularly after former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s policies that expanded military involvement in public safety.

Critics argue that the military does not have the necessary training for civilian law enforcement tasks. In 2023, the Defense Ministry announced that 16 soldiers would face military charges for their involvement in the murder of five men in Nuevo Laredo, an incident captured on surveillance camera footage that López Obrador described as an apparent “execution.”

Demands accountability and change

Raymundo Ramos, the head of the Human Rights Committee of Nuevo Laredo, criticized the armed forces’ excessive power, stating: “The armed forces continue to have very great powers, very strong and above any civilian authority.” He added: “It seems that no one does “The military wants to attack this country,” underlining the prevailing impunity for military actions.

These tragic incidents come just after the inauguration of new President Claudia Sheinbaum and mark a period of transition in Mexican leadership. The first major violence under her administration occurred on October 1 in Tapachula, where soldiers reportedly fired on a truck carrying migrants, resulting in the deaths of six people – an incident considered the worst killing of migrants by authorities in Mexico has been called since 2021.