Mexico high court upholds keeping military on police duties

Mexico’s Supreme Court upheld on Tuesday a constitutional change that allows the military to continue in law enforcement duties until 2028.
The court ruled against appeals that argued law enforcement should be left to civilian police forces. Critics warned President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is militarizing the country, and ignoring the separation of powers.
Eight of the court’s 11 justices voted to uphold the changes that Congress approved in October.
Putting soldiers and marines on the streets to fight crime was long viewed as a stopgap measure to fight the country’s well-armed drug cartels. In 2019, legislators voted that civilian police should take over those duties by 2024.