The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated that it is necessary to act against the cartels that are killing American citizens, mentioning that they have caused the death of 300,000 people per year instead of the reported 100. On January 20, he signed an order to classify the cartels as terrorists.
For her part, the Head of Government of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum, expressed in her morning conference on February 13 that she is not concerned about the presence of American spy planes at the border, amidst accusations from the White House about the alleged collusion between cartels and the government. She emphasized the importance of coordination and cooperation between countries.
Despite not being alarmed by these operations, Sheinbaum mentioned that she will request an explanation from Washington after a CNN report indicated a significant increase in the surveillance activity of military planes over the Mexican cartels in the last two weeks. In this regard, she specified that this is not the first time such flights have occurred, but given the current sensitivity, it is important to inform the public.
According to the CNN report, the United States Army conducted 18 surveillance flights at the border in the last two weeks, using Poseidon P-8 planes capable of gathering information and intelligence. The flights took place in international airspace and the Baja California Peninsula, including missions in California, Arizona, Texas, and near Sinaloa.
General Gregory Guillot, head of U.S. Northern Command, explained that the increase in surveillance flights aims to gather more information on the actions of the Mexican cartels and combat illegal migration. In a hearing, he mentioned the use of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance from the air to counteract the actions of these criminal groups.
It has been reported that the United States has a list of at least five Mexican cartels that will be considered terrorist organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel, Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), Northeast Cartel, Michoacana Family, and United Cartels. U.S. authorities highlighted the importance of this step, despite possible objections from Mexico.
