JUÁREZ, Mexico — The Mexican state of Chihuahua has officially inaugurated the looming Torre de Centinela, or the Sentinel Tower, in Juárez, the new nerve center for security operations across the Borderland.
Chihuahua Gov. María Eugenia "Maru" Campos Galván and Chihuahua state Public Safety Secretary Gilberto Loya pressed the button to officially open the center on Wednesday, Sept. 9. The tower was quickly lit up from the bottom up, as a fireworks display reflected off the glass windows of the tallest building in Juárez.
“Today, Chihuahua is a much safer state,” Loya said. “Juárez and the border are safer than they were five years ago.”
He called the 20-story tower a “monument
to security,” and that security forces now have “eyes in every region” of the vast state of Chihuahua.
Campos Galván celebrated the tower’s role in fighting cartel violence, calling it a symbol of hope for Mexico.
"Dear Juárez, dear Chihuahua, we send a message of hope to the country because while states in other regions of our beloved Mexico are losing control of their territories," Campos Galván said, "Here we demonstrate that it is indeed possible to consolidate security and the rule of law."
U.S. representatives were in attendance in the inauguration ceremony, including U.S. consular in Juárez, Katherine Beamer, Jason Bowie, New Mexico’s cabinet secretary of public safety, and Las Cruces Mayor Eric Enriquez.
El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson did not attend. A Chihuahua official did not mention any Texas representatives.
What is the Sentinel Tower?
Construction of the Sentinel Tower began in 2022.
It cost over $230 million to complete.
The center is the nerve center of Mexican security in the state of Chihuahua, connecting to a network of over 30,000 security cameras across the state. This network of cameras includes those in security arches that read license plates and utilize facial recognition software.
It brings together the Mexican National Guard, military and state police officers under one roof.
The building is the heart of public safety efforts across the state. It will expand the use of artificial intelligence to process data from the region's extensive network of security cameras.
Authorities will share information with the United States to respond to drug trafficking and human smuggling across the border into the U.S. and assist in stopping weapons and stolen vehicles from crossing into Mexico.
Mexico shares communication along the border with U.S. federal agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Customs and Border Protection.
Jeff Abbott covers the border for the El Paso Times and can be reached at: jdabbott@usatodayco.com; @palabrasdeabajo on Twitter or @palabrasdeabajo.bsky.social on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 'Juárez and the border are safer.' Mexico inaugurates Sentinel Tower
