Mexican congress approves law allowing army to act as police
Source: Associated Press
Mark Stevenson, Associated Press
Updated 4:32 pm, Thursday, November 30, 2017
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's ruling party rammed a bill through Congress' lower house Thursday giving the military legal justification to act as police, stream-rolling objections by rights groups and opposition legislators who said it would effectively militarize the country.
Supporters of the bill said Mexico's armed forces have to stay in the streets to fight gangs, given the incapacity or corruption of local police forces. But critics said there should still be a calm, detailed debate about whether the law should allow the army to perform law enforcement duties indefinitely, and with what limits.
The hurried approval process, in which members of the Chamber of Deputies debated and voted on a bill that most apparently had not had time to read, meant a thorough, reasoned debate did not happen.
"Blah, blah, blah. The truth is you always vote against everything," said Arturo Alvarez, a congressman from the Green Party, an ally of the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party. "The fact is we still need the army in the streets."
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Army-s-role-as-police-under-debate-in-Mexico-12395816.php
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