When LeBaron was first assigned a security team, he was reluctant. He refused to even let Ayala drive. “I underestimated him,” he said.
Today, however, LeBaron admits he depends on his security team. Agent Ayala is never far away, alert for danger.
Ayala explained that the only time the security team withdraws is when LeBaron campaigns in remote areas where the presence of the National Guard would likely cause a confrontation with local cartels.
However, not all security threats come from organized crime. During one event, LeBaron and 700 others rode horses into a town, and Ayala's quick reactions prevented a thick tree branch from falling on Johnson Berlin, LeBaron's wife.
Wearing an impeccably pressed short-sleeved shirt, Ayala explained that his job is to be flexible, facilitating but not hindering the candidate's campaign. That means plans are made (and modified) on the fly.
“Security during the election campaign differs from normal VIP protection,” Ayala said.
“Everything changes. We have to be prepared at all times without the luxury of planning primary, secondary and tertiary routes that come with standard diplomatic protection.”
Ayala points out that many high-level politicians have very tight schedules to structure their day, organized with the help of a large staff. However, protecting candidates like LeBaron requires more fluidity.
However, protective equipment is not always successful. On the last day of the campaign, José Alfredo Cabrera, candidate in Guerrero, was murdered despite having a security team from the National Guard.
Ayala blamed the new protocols for creating security weaknesses. He said they require National Guard officers to be uniformed and stay away from candidates.
The new rules “do not respect the usual bodyguard protocols that require being as close as possible to the director at all times,” he explained.
Ayala also stressed the need to adapt when traveling with candidates, something he believes the new rules do not contemplate.
“When there is no agenda, you have to do everything in the moment. The usual protocols, such as not driving at night, no longer apply,” he stated.
Ayala's ability to adapt was tested one last time when LeBaron left his final campaign rally at 11 p.m. in Matachi, an area known to be particularly dangerous.
During the course of the event, Ayala had received information that armed men, in about 20 vehicles, were patrolling the surrounding streets.
The two-hour trip back to LeBaron's house was going to be dangerous. Time was of the essence: every second outdoors was a second in danger.
Previously, LeBaron had always insisted on breaking protocol to sit in the front, but now he followed the officer's instructions to sit in the back with his wife. Two National Guard trucks sandwiched the candidate's vehicle.
As they were driving, Johnson Berlin noticed a truck behaving erratically behind them and its headlights flashing through the rear window. Fear flashed across his eyes as the truck repeatedly tried to overtake the speeding convoy.
On high alert, National Guard officers trained their weapons on the truck, the green lasers from their firearms bouncing off the vehicle as it finally passed the convoy and disappeared into the night.
Ayala, LeBaron, and the convoy continued flying down the country roads, with Ayala hugging the lead vehicle, never more than a few feet away. They ran through red lights, reaching speeds of 180 kilometers per hour (120 miles per hour).
But then the chase suddenly stopped. They needed gasoline.
“We are in the middle of what seems like a high-speed chase when we have to stop for half an hour to refuel. It’s super inefficient and dangerous,” LeBaron would later comment, after finally returning to the relative safety of his home.
But the campaign finally ended. There was nothing left for him to do other than wait for the outcome of Sunday's election and see where life would take him next.
