MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum on Monday calmed concerns about two recent U.S. military operations near Mexico that have put the country on edge since attacks in Venezuela.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday urged U.S. aircraft operators to “exercise caution” when flying over parts of the eastern Pacific, Central and South America near Mexico, citing “military activities.”
The president said her administration waited for hours until the U.S. government provided “written” assurances that no U.S. military aircraft would fly over Mexican territory. She said the U.S. government had not warned Mexico of any military action.
The U.S. government provided precise coordinates of where it operates, and Mexican authorities issued a statement saying the FAA recommendation had no impact on Mexico.
Subsequently, images of a U.S. military transport plane parked on the tarmac of Toluca Airport, about 39 miles (63 kilometers) west of Mexico City, began circulating on social media.
Senator Clemente Castañeda of the opposition Civic Movement Party posted on the social platform X, demanding an explanation from the government because the Mexican Senate should approve sending Mexican troops overseas or allowing foreign troops to enter Mexico.
Sheinbaum described it as a “logistical” action that does not require Senate approval.
“American planes land, civil servants get on the plane, and they go (to the United States) for training,” Sheinbaum said. “Who authorized it? The Secretary of Defense.”
Her security cabinet issued a message on Sunday night saying that such training operations “are carried out in accordance with established protocols and in compliance with bilateral cooperation agreements.”
Both incidents underscore the sensitivities surrounding the Trump administration’s unilateral campaign to capture Venezuela’s then-President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month and subsequent renewed offers and threats of direct military action against Mexican drug cartels.
Scheinbaum and Trump spoke on the topic again last week. The two governments continue to say they will cooperate on security issues, with Mexico stressing that it will not accept violations of its sovereignty.
Security officials from the two countries are scheduled to meet again on Friday in an effort to “continue to take concrete action to strengthen security cooperation and achieve meaningful results to combat cartels and stop fentanyl and weapons from illegally crossing our shared border,” according to a joint statement released last Thursday.
