Mexico's National Guard kills 2 Colombians and wounds 4 in an alleged confrontation near US border

MEXICO CITY -- Mexico’s National Guard fatally changeable 2 Colombians and wounded 4 others successful what nan Defense Department claimed was a confrontation adjacent nan U.S. border.

The shootings happened Saturday connected a ungraded roadworthy adjacent Tecate, eastbound of Otay Mesa connected nan California border, that is often utilized by Mexican migrant smugglers, nan section said.

It wasn't clear whether nan Colombians were migrants, but 1 Colombian who was not injured successful nan shootings was turned complete to migration officials, suggesting they were.

Mexico’s Defense Department, which controls nan National Guard, did not respond to requests for remark connected that point.

If they were migrants, it would people nan 2nd clip successful conscionable complete a period that subject forces person opened occurrence connected and killed migrants.

On Oct. 1, nan time President Claudia Sheinbaum took office, soldiers opened occurrence connected a truck, sidesplitting six migrants successful nan confederate authorities of Chiapas. An 11-year-old woman from Egypt, her 18-year-old sister and a 17-year-old boy from El Salvador died successful that shooting, on pinch group from Peru and Honduras.

Describing nan events adjacent Tecate connected Saturday, nan Defense Department said successful a connection precocious Sunday that a militarized National Guard patrol came nether occurrence aft spotting 2 trucks successful nan area.

One motortruck sped disconnected and escaped. The National Guard opened occurrence connected nan different truck, sidesplitting 2 Colombians and wounding 4 others. There was nary contiguous accusation connected their conditions, and location were nary reported casualties among nan guardsmen involved.

One Colombian and 1 Mexican man were recovered and detained unharmed astatine nan scene, and nan departments said officers recovered a pistol and magazines commonly utilized for battle rifles astatine nan scene.

Colombians person sometimes been recruited arsenic gunmen for Mexican supplier cartels, which are besides heavy progressive successful migrant smuggling. But nan truth nan subsister was turned complete to migration officials and that nan Foreign Relations Department contacted nan Colombian consulate suggests they were migrants.

Cartel gunmen sometimes escort aliases kidnap migrants arsenic they recreation to nan U.S. border.

The 3 National Guard officers who opened occurrence person been taken disconnected duty.

Former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who near agency Sept. 30, gave nan subject an unprecedentedly wide domiciled successful nationalist life and rule enforcement; he created nan militarized Guard and utilized nan mixed subject forces arsenic nan country’s main rule enforcement agencies, supplanting police. The Guard has since been placed nether nan power of nan army.

But critics opportunity the subject is not trained to do civilian rule enforcement work. Moreover, lopsided decease tolls successful specified confrontations — successful which each nan deaths and injuries hap connected 1 broadside — raise suspicions among activists whether location really was a confrontation.

For example, nan soldiers who opened occurrence successful Chiapas — who person been detained pending charges — claimed they heard “detonations” anterior to opening fire. There was nary denotation immoderate weapons were recovered astatine nan scene.