Headline Roundup • February 18th, 2025
US Military and CIA Expand Operations in Mexico to Combat Drug Cartels
Summary from the AllSides News Team
As part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to reduce drug trafficking across the Mexico-US border, both the CIA and US Special Forces have entered Mexico to gain intelligence and secure the border.
The Details: The CIA increased unarmed drone flights over Mexico to find fentanyl labs, and the organization will share with Mexico the intelligence these drones gather. On Monday, 11 Green Berets from the Army’s 7th Special Forces Group entered Mexico to train the country’s Naval Infantry Marines to combat the flow of drugs from Mexico into the US as well as prevent illegal firearms flowing from the US into Mexico.
The Context: Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum is aware of the drone operations and stated that Mexico will “coordinate without subordinating." The Green Berets are training Mexico’s marines at Sheinbaum’s request.
How the Media Covered It: Straight Arrow News (Center bias) reported that though the Green Beret’s presence in Mexico has garnered particular attention recently, the branch has “taken part in operations in Panama, Peru, and Ecuador before,” and US troops have “trained with Mexican forces in the past.” New York Times (Lean Left) highlighted that the CIA’s secret drone flights had “begun during the Biden administration” and were “stepped up by President Trump.” The Daily Wire (Right) wrote that the Trump administration deployed these forces to “stop illegal aliens and drugs from pouring into the United States at the unprecedented rate experienced during the Biden administration.”
Featured Coverage of this Story
Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times
The United States has stepped up secret drone flights over Mexico to hunt for fentanyl labs, part of the Trump administration’s more aggressive campaign against drug cartels, according to U.S. officials.
The covert drone program, which has not been previously disclosed, began under the Biden administration, according to U.S. officials and others familiar with the program.
SAN.com
A handful of U.S. Army Green Berets are in Mexico, helping to train the country’s Naval Infantry Marines. The U.S. Special Forces soldiers are there at the request of Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum. The action was also unanimously approved by a Senate commission in Mexico, according to Border Report.
Eleven Green Berets from the Army’s 7th Special Forces Group will be in Mexico from Feb. 17 through the end of March. The special operators arrived fully armed but will focus on training their Mexican counterparts, according to Border Report.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is flying MQ-9 Reaper drones over Mexico as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to revamp the war against transnational drug cartels.
CNN reported that the move comes as the administration has deployed significant resources to the southern border to stop illegal aliens and drugs from pouring into the United States at the unprecedented rate experienced during the Biden administration.
The unarmed drones are currently only conducting spy missions against the cartels. The CIA can arm the drones and use them against foreign enemies, which it has...
