The US has secretly surveilled Mexico with drones since the Biden Administration

The New York Times revealed that the CIA has been conducting covert drone flights into Mexico. The agency is surveilling the northern region and looking for fentanyl labs.

Speaking anonymously, an agent told the newspaper that the surveillance program started during the Biden Administration. Still, it had not been disclosed until now.

They also said the Trump Administration ramped up the program as part of its promise for more intense action against Mexican drug cartels.

The agent clarified that the CIA does not have clearance to fire the drones, only to do surveillance and share the information with the Mexican Government.

Still, they claimed the flights “go well into sovereign Mexico,” which is surprising for such a secretive operation that close to the US border.

According to ABC News, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed the operation was done with her knowledge. It was part of the security cooperation between the countries, she said.

She had to clarify because controversy struck Mexico’s public opinion after US Military planes conducted an operation near the border without alerting the Southern neighbors.

Mexican experts are concerned about US security operations in their territory because of the incendiary rhetoric President Trump and GOP politicians have used over the last few years.

The alarm increased after the Military and CIA flights became public, and President Trump declared six Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

Recent US actions have also shaken up trust. Mainly a controversial operation to arrest a major cartel leader in the Mexican state of Sinaloa without a court order or government authorization.

The arrest sparked an intense wave of violence in the Mexican state as fragmented factions of the cartel fight to grab the power vacuum. Dozens of civilians have died or disappeared.

The operations also add to the turbulent relations between Trump and Sheinbaum, including crossing declarations about who bears more responsibility in the US fentanyl crisis.

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