Description: US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) under the Trump administration charter, has started to fly drone missions over Mexican territory in an effort to counter cartel activities. The MQ – 9 Reaper drones weren’t armed at the time but for future refences could be equipped with serious payloads. The information comes to light in a period of time where US – Mexico bilateral relations are considerably heightened as Trump’s tariffs and the designation of cartels as terrorist organizations gives the US a blank check in operation capabilities and significant diplomatic clout. Concerns have been raised by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum who accused the US of violating Mexican territorial integrity.
Impact: With CIA presence in the air, the US is once again adopting a unilateral way of conducting policy. The move shows the distrust the US has in the Mexican government as close ties and cooperation with the cartels have been unearthed in the past. With previous moves such as the deployment of 10,000 National Guard troops on the border, Mexico aims to alleviate the pressure which is also followed by Trump’s imposition of tariffs. No response has been solicited by the cartels so far as low-level operations conducted by the Mexican National Guard in Sinaloa, Juarez and Michoacan were noted in the past week. CIA’s presence in Mexico as a foreign intelligence agency risks further inflation of tensions between the countries as it could worsen existing inter – agency relationships and disrupt the joint efforts in countering cartel activities, from both countries.