Overview
- The Senate’s Maritime Commission canceled the meeting planned for Monday that would have advanced required authorizations for U.S. troops to enter Mexico and for Mexican forces to deploy for training.
- Legislators linked the pause to the U.S. special-operations intervention in Venezuela that led to Nicolás Maduro’s detention, and Senate and federal authorities reiterated Mexico’s non-intervention stance.
- The suspended requests cover two drills: sending 60 Mexican naval special operators to Camp Shelby from January 18 to March 13, and admitting 19 Navy SEALs plus 10 members of the 7th Special Forces Group to train in Mexico from January 19 to April 15.
- Training in Mexico was slated for the Special Operations HQ in Donato Guerra and naval facilities in Champotón and Ciudad del Carmen, with personnel and equipment moved on U.S. Air Force C-130s via Toluca.
- With no new commission date, the extraordinary session eyed for January 13 to finalize votes is uncertain and both exercises are effectively on hold.