US military personnel have been authorized to enter Mexican territory following a request from President Claudia Sheinbaum to the Legislative Power for training purposes.
According to Diario de Yucatan, in the first week of Trump’s presidency, during which he declared Mexican cartels as terrorist groups, President Sheinbaum requested authorization for US Army troops to train elements of the Mexican Navy (Semar).
The document says US military personnel will participate in a training activity called “Strengthening the Capacity of the Navy’s Special Operations Forces.”
US Troops to Enter Mexico via Campeche
President Sheinbaum, through the Ministry of the Interior, sent the request to the Board of Directors of the Permanent Commission of the Congress of the Union for the training of US troops alongside Mexican troops. This training will take place at the Specialized Training and Training Center for the Navy Infantry in San Luis Carpizo, Campeche, from February 17 to March 28, 2025.
Article 76 of the Constitution states that “it is the exclusive power of the Senate of the Republic to authorize the federal Executive to allow the passage of foreign troops through the national territory.”
Training Mexican Sailors
According to the federal letter, the Navy received an invitation from the Defense Coordination Office of the US Embassy to conduct the training event. The event will involve members of the Special Forces of the US Army Special Operations Command and personnel from the Special Operations Unit of Semar.
Training activities will cover conventional and non-conventional combat tactics, techniques, and procedures, as well as amphibious operations in maritime, land, and air environments.
If authorized, a delegation of 10 members from the Seventh Special Forces Group of the United States will enter Mexican territory. The US military will carry the necessary weapons, ammunition, materials, and special equipment for joint combined training.
The instructors will arrive at Campeche International Airport in a C-130 military aircraft, owned by the US Army, on February 15 and will return to the US on March 30. The request was referred to commissions for discussion and approval yesterday.
Authorization of Trump’s Troops
The Congress of the Union would have authorized the entry of US troops a couple of days before Trump entered the White House, according to information in “Bajo Reserva” of El Universal. The article confirmed that US troops would enter Mexico from Campeche on February 17 and leave on March 28.
A similar action occurred in 2023, during the term of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, when a delegation of US soldiers arrived in Mexico as part of the “Joint Combined Exercise Training” program. The US military received training from the Mexican Army from April 6 to May 11. A year earlier, Mexican Army paratroopers participated in special training as part of the “Rotational Preparation Exercise with Special Forces” of the United States.
