Mexico’s murder rate is at a record high, with more than 17,000 homicides in the first six months of 2019. According to government numbers, some 94 people are murdered every day.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is vowing to reduce the violence across the country. He created a new security force, creating a National Guard, to take the job on.

As CGTN’s Alasdair Baverstock reports, the guard is almost as controversial as the problems it faces.

Follow Alasdair Baverstock on Twitter @alibaverstock

To discuss:

• Laura Carlsen is the director of the Americas Program at the Center for International Policy.
• Eduardo Arcos is an associate analyst for the Americas with Control Risks.
• Paulina Chavez Alonzo is a political commentator and former spokesperson for the Embassy of Mexico in the United States.
• Rafael Bernal is a staff writer with the U.S. political newspaper, The Hill.

For more:

#Mexico's new National Guard has been met with mixed reactions. Will the agency make any difference in crime rates? @AFedirka https://t.co/iDdXE45Bj6 pic.twitter.com/vQBb4mvcri

— Geopolitical Futures (@GPFutures) July 28, 2019

A viral picture of an armed Mexican National Guard soldier impeding a crying mother and her child from getting to the U.S. is drawing attention to Mexico's new security plan, implemented after intense pressure from the Trump administration.https://t.co/xagEGnfY1n

— NPR (@NPR) July 25, 2019