MEXICO CITY — Hundreds of Mexican federal police are in open revolt against plans to force them into the newly formed National Guard.

Police at a command centre in the capital’s Iztapalapa borough say that their seniority, rank and benefits are not being recognized within the National Guard, which is ostensibly a civilian security force, but whose hierarchy is heavily military.

National Guard Commandant Patricia Rosalinda Trujillo Mariel is one of the few leaders of the new force who came from the federal police. She was jostled by the crowd Wednesday morning as she came to meet the protesters and asked them to put forward representatives to talk.

The protest comes as the government is officially starting to deploy the National Guard to several states to fight crime and control immigration.

The Associated Press