Mexico National Guard Amendment Goes to State Legislatures

As predicted, the Mexican Chamber of Deputies on Thursday almost unanimously, approved the constitutional amendment to create a National Guard, composed of federal police and military personnel.  The measure now will be sent to the 31 state legislatures, where it seems likely to be passed by at least the 16 legislatures required to include it in the constitution.  Citizen groups in Chihuahua are exected to ask the president , in Chihuahua on Saturday, to send the National Guard to areas suffering violence, such as the community of Rubio, just North of Cuauhtemoc, the site of attacks on public figures from criminal organizations.  It is unclear at this point how long it might take the National Guard to be constituted as an operational unit, should it pass quickly through 16 state legislatures.