Overview
- The New York Times reports that Washington seeks to have U.S. Special Operations forces or CIA personnel accompany Mexican soldiers on raids targeting suspected fentanyl labs, with Mexican units in the lead and Americans providing intelligence and advice.
- President Claudia Sheinbaum has publicly ruled out allowing armed foreign forces on Mexican soil, citing sovereignty and legal limits, after a recent phone call in which President Trump raised the request.
- U.S. advisers are already working inside Mexican military command centers sharing intelligence, and Mexico has proposed expanding this advisory and information-sharing role rather than authorizing joint armed operations.
- Current and former U.S. officials say the CIA has conducted secret drone flights over Mexico to locate labs and track chemical precursors, and some officials have suggested potential drone strikes, a move that would violate Mexican sovereignty.
- The Pentagon said it stands ready to execute presidential orders at any time and in any place, and officials say the push was renewed after U.S. forces captured Nicolás Maduro on January 3.