Georgina Saldierna and Andrea Becerril
La Jornada Newspaper
Thursday, November 14, 2024, p. 3
In order to reduce violence in the country, the Senate yesterday unanimously approved, in general and in particular, the reform to article 21 of the Constitution, which grants the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) the power to investigate, in order to assist with the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic in the investigation of crimes and compliance with arrest warrants.
Although the opposition endorsed the modification to the Magna Carta because it considered that civilian command is strengthened in the strategy against insecurity, it stated that this support is not a blank check, which is why it warned that it will remain vigilant that the exercise of the new powers are always carried out within the framework of the law.
In addition to carrying out investigative tasks, the SSPC will have other functions that, according to analysts, make it a super secretariat. Among them is coordinating the National Intelligence System in matters of public security and leading joint actions between the three levels of government through their corporations.
The amendment establishes the creation of an executive secretariat that will oversee the use of federal funds in the states to combat violence, and will be able to issue agreements and guidelines, and carry out actions that standardize standards of action.
This is the second proposal that President Claudia Sheinbaum sends to the Senate. It was approved in general by 121 votes and in particular by 122, and was sent to the Chamber of Deputies for analysis and voting.
In the debate, which lasted more than four hours, PAN member Lilly Téllez threw some coins to Cynthia López Castro, the former PRI member who had recently joined Morena, when she was finishing her participation on the platform. The attack caused words to be exchanged and the president of the Senate, Gerardo Fernández Noroña (Morena), to call for order, but not without ceasing to accuse the Sonoran of committing political violence.
Before, when presenting the opinion, Óscar Cantón Zetina (Morena) pointed out that he is not ignorant of what is happening in the country. “There is enormous violence that we cannot take as something inevitable or acceptable. ‘Violence is a horror,’ said some fellow senator in committees, and I confirm.”
He warned that it is necessary to recognize that the problem exists, as well as that we are on the right path
by highlighting the benefits of the reform.
Luis Donaldo Colosio Riojas (MC) welcomed the modification, as it represents the first step towards the recovery of the security force in the hands of civilians, and the claim that the strategy in this matter must be guided by intelligence and coordination, not by force and lethality.
Francisco Ramírez Acuña (PAN) estimated that the proposal is a new attempt to respond to the urgent need to recover security in the country and demands that Mexicans our participation and trust
.
He explained that the intelligence functions that are already carried out through the National Research Center are regulated, in such a way that police work in the matter is no longer limited to the issue of national security, but is expanded to public security.
The former governor of Jalisco maintained that the exacerbated militarization process that occurred in this area during the previous six-year term would be subject to a sensible brake with this amendment. This is clearly an attempt to balance militarization with the empowerment of civil authority.
in the matter, he considered.
On the other hand, he expressed concern because the proposed framework implies greater centralization of certain functions, considering that the intelligence system must be accompanied by effective controls and clear supervision, so that respect for human rights is not compromised and freedom of expression is not violated. the people.
