I'm John Batchel with my colleague, Gavin Ellis, Professor of Latin American Research at the U.S.

Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, just returned from Mexico.

A headline that's pertinent to the border in these last days is that the Secretary of Defense, Mr. Hegeseth, and others of the Trump administration,

including Mr. Vance, the vice president, have asked for the government to accelerate its security,

the Mexican government and the U.S. government to accelerate its security along the border.

Early on, the Mexican government announced there would be 10,000 additional National Guard,

Mexican National Guard deployed. It's a vast border. It was also mentioned of U.S. deployment

to the border. Professor, I'm unclear where the border security story is right now.

Is it adequate? Do they need more?

Are they finding that they've discouraged people crossing into the border for sanctuary?

I note the most recent number I have is January, 29,000 encounters, which is dramatically

down from the high point of Biden, but still seems like a big number. I just spent the past

12 days in Mexico talking with senior Mexican government officials and a number of security

exports. And I can tell you that among

many, there is a high degree of frustration with what they can do or if they can do anything to be

able to accommodate the sensibilities of the Trump administration, even while acknowledging

the validity of some of these issues that affect both of us. But there was a very important meeting in which the head of their new security organization,

Omar Garcia Harfich, which is probably who's probably the person closest to Claudia

Shinebo on security and really who's kind of their new civilian security leader,

came up to Washington along with the head of their army, General Trevino Trejo,

as well as the head of their Navy Admiral Morales, to have talks both with our Secretary of Defense

Pete Higgsath, as well as with Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. The idea was to try to find a

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