US spy planes spark controversy in Mexico: ‘We don’t know what they did'
Mexico’s Defense Department has acknowledged authorizing two Pentagon reconnaissance missions since Trump took office but has left open the question of whether the aircraft were involved in espionage activities
Spy planes, aerial surveillance near Mexican airspace, and Donald Trump’s war on drug cartels — these are at the center of the latest controversy unfolding in Mexico. Reports of unusual U.S. military aircraft activity have sparked concerns, and after a week of speculation, the Mexican government has finally addressed the issue. On Tuesday, Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration acknowledged for the first time that the Pentagon has conducted at least two reconnaissance missions since Trump took office — on January 31 and February 3.'
The flight paths have raised suspicions in Mexico, with reports suggesting the missions were intelligence-gathering operations linked to the White House’s aggressive stance against organized crime. “We cannot rule it out because we do not know what they were doing,” said Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla when questioned about the alleged espionage.
Trevilla stressed that the planes remained in international airspace and did not enter Mexican territory. However, his statements mark a shift in the Sheinbaum government’s response to the controversy. Initially, the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena) categorically denied any espionage and downplayed reports from national and internation media that tracked the aircraft. This time, the Mexican Army refrained from drawing conclusions about the purpose of the missions, leaving open the possibility that they were intended for intelligence gathering.
The February 3 flight was detected at 1:41 p.m., approximately “83 kilometers [51 miles] southwest of Cabo San Lucas,” near the Baja California peninsula, according to an official report. The January 31 overflight had not been publicly disclosed until now. Additionally, there has been significant secrecy surrounding other types of flights, including deportation flights from the United States.
“The plane that conducted these flights did not turn off its transponder [the device that emits and receives signals]. In other words, it is complying with international regulations,” said Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla. He affirmed that Sedena was aware of the operations and noted that military and cargo flights with regular itineraries occur every week, downplaying the recent media reports.
However, there are still notable differences between the reported data. CNN, citing Pentagon sources, reports that at least 18 U.S. military missions took place in the final days of January and the first days of February. The Mexican government, on the other hand, has only recognized two.
The controversy surrounding the flights revolves around two key issues: the type of aircraft used by the U.S. Armed Forces and the timing of the missions. According to CNN, the plane that flew over the Baja California peninsula and off the coast of Sinaloa — a historic stronghold of the Sinaloa Cartel — was an RC-135 Rivet Joint, an aircraft specialized in intercepting ground communications.
The flight took place just hours after Sheinbaum announced that she had reached an agreement with Trump to delay the imposition of 25% tariffs on Mexican products. In exchange for avoiding the economic blow, Mexico agreed to deploy 10,000 soldiers to the border to combat fentanyl trafficking and illegal crossings. One theory suggests that these surveillance missions could be part of the agreement, though neither government has publicly acknowledged this possibility.
The Pentagon’s increased surveillance flights — typically limited to about one per month, according to military sources — suggests that U.S. military forces will play a more important role in the war on drugs. In his first week in the Oval Office, Trump signed an executive order designating drug cartels as terrorist organizations. While the designation has not been finalized, it grants the U.S. government access to counterterrorism tools and raises the stakes, potentially justifying military actions against criminal groups as matters of national security. One of Mexico’s main concerns is that this could lead to violations of its sovereignty, with Washington ordering cross-border incursions under the pretext of fighting organized crime.
Despite the tensions, Trevilla insisted that the flights have not affected security cooperation between the two countries. “[We are focused] at this time on prioritizing the border, while always adhering to the principles of shared responsibility, mutual trust, but above all respect for sovereignty,” he said.
Trevilla described his Monday conversation with the head of U.S. Northern Command as “cordial” and said that a meeting between military commanders from both nations — responsible for border security — was scheduled for Wednesday in El Paso, Texas, a key U.S. intelligence hub.
“Everything is known to the Security Cabinet and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” Trevilla said in response to the controversy. “We are obtaining very favorable results in that regard,” he added. Trump and Sheinbaum are expected to speak in the first week of March to review whether the tariff pause on Mexican products will remain in place.
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