The Government of Mexico has sent more than 2,500 troops to the border shared with the United States to curb the violence stemming from the drug trade.

From the AP:

The Mexican government said Thursday it has sent more than 2,500 soldiers and federal police to curb soaring violence in a border state across from Texas and New Mexico.Agents began arriving Wednesday in Ciudad Juarez near El Paso, Texas. About 200 people have been killed in this Chihuahua state city of 1.3 million since Jan. 1.

“In this battle, no group will be able to withstand the government’s will and force,” Interior Secretary Juan Camilo Mourino said at the initiative’s unveiling in Ciudad Juarez.

Chihuahua is home to the town of Palomas, across from Columbus, New Mexico, where at least 40 people have been killed so far this year. Earlier this week, Palomas’ police chief sought asylum in the U.S. after his deputies abandoned him and he received death threats.

Last year, around 2,500 people were killed in Mexico due to the drug trade violence.