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The escalating disagreement between city and state officials over the proposed 20-story Sentinel Tower has captured attention in El Paso, Texas. This conflict traces its roots to an incident last week when the governor of Chihuahua experienced an unfortunate mishap in Juarez, Mexico. A pothole-induced tire blowout during her visit sparked the initial tensions.
Governor Maru Campos took to social media to share the incident, using the opportunity to pointedly urge the mayor of Juarez to prioritize street repairs. Her post carried an implicit challenge, suggesting that improvements were overdue.
In response, Mayor Cruz Perez Cuellar’s remarks not only underscored the existing political rift but also cast doubt on the merit of one of the state’s most significant financial commitments to Juarez in recent years. His comments have intensified the ongoing debate, reflecting deeper issues between these governmental bodies.
Mayor Cruz Perez Cuellar’s comeback not only highlighted a partisan divide between the two government spheres but also questioned one of the state’s largest investments in Juarez in years.
“I know you fell in a pothole and that troubles me,” Perez Cuellar said in a video posted on X. “But if instead of spending so many millions on this piece of junk of no use to the people of Juarez you had spent it on streets maybe you wouldn’t have fallen in a pothole.”
The mugrero or “piece of junk” he was referring to is the new 20-story Sentinel Tower in the heart of downtown Juarez. It will be the tallest building in the El Paso-Juarez area once it opens next spring.
It’s also slated to be the nerve center of intelligence gathering and security camera monitoring in a Mexican border state with well-documented drug cartel activity.
The comments struck a nerve among police officers.
On Monday, Chihuahua Public Safety Director Gilberto Loya called the mayor’s comments irresponsible and urged public servants not to politicize or play down the threat organized criminal organizations pose to communities on both sides of the border.
“It is very irresponsible to trivialize and misinform (the public) on such a sensitive issue” as public safety, Loya said.
The network of more than 2,000 security cameras operating in major cities has already helped police bring crime down, the police chief said, adding he has invited several public servants to tour the building under construction and learn what it will do, but some have declined.
“We have made the invitation to certain (political) actors who, for some reason feel uncomfortable with the results the platform has yielded and will continue to yield,” Loya said. “What do I mean? It will generate permanent and constant communication with U.S. agencies, including the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration).”
When asked Monday why the Sentinel Tower did not go into full operation last year as advertised, Loya offered technical and contractual explanations. But he quickly pivoted to talking about cost overruns involving federally-owned trains and oil refineries.
That includes well-documented setbacks in the Mexican federal government’s multibillion dollar investment on Tren Maya and Tren Interoceanico rail projects and cost overruns at Dos Bocas refinery.
Those are two signature projects of the last two Mexican presidents coming from the MORENA populist party.
Gov. Campos is a member of the opposition National Action Party, or PAN.
Perez Cuellar is a member of MORENA and a leading potential governor candidate in Chihuahua, according to several polls released in the past few months. He has not officially declared for the post, though he has reportedly expressed interest.
Chihuahua will elect a new governor next year.