Mexico, US agree to deepen intel sharing on criminal drone use: Wednesday’s mañanera recapped

At the precise commencement of her Wednesday greeting property conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterated Mexico’s absorption to overseas interventions and interference arsenic the United States ramps up its assertive posture against Venezuela. (Click present to work Mexico News Daily’s story.)

Later successful the mañanera, Sheinbaum responded to questions astir the Mexico-U.S. information gathering that took spot successful Mexico City past week.

She besides spoke astir Mexico’s vigor needs aft Energy Minister Luz Elena González announced that the operation of 20 renewable vigor projects has been approved.

Criminal groups’ usage of drones a absorption of Mexico-US information meeting 

Asked astir the Mexico-United States information gathering that took spot successful the Mexican superior past Thursday, Sheinbaum said that the usage of drones by organized transgression groups was an contented of peculiar involvement to U.S. authorities representatives.

“So this contented was discussed, among galore different issues,” she said.

Mexican transgression groups person been utilizing drones for years, including to motorboat attacks connected rivals and information forces.

Cartel drone attacks unit residents to fly El Chapo’s hometown successful Sinaloa

Earlier this year, Steven Willoughby, a elder authoritative successful the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said that “nearly each day, transnational transgression organizations usage drones to convey illicit narcotics and contraband crossed U.S. borders and to behaviour hostile surveillance of instrumentality enforcement.”

He besides said that “it’s lone a substance of time” earlier Mexican transgression organizations transportation retired drone attacks against U.S. citizens and instrumentality enforcement authorities.

Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) said successful a connection connected Tuesday that Mexican and U.S. officials, including acting Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ron Johnson, “analyzed emerging challenges to planetary security” astatine past Thursday’s meeting, “particularly the usage of unmanned aerial systems by transgression organizations.”

The SRE said determination was besides an “emphasis connected arms trafficking” astatine the “second gathering of the Security Implementation Group [SIG] betwixt Mexico and the United States.”

“… Both governments agreed to deepen and accelerate accusation sharing connected arms trafficking and proceed with weapons and ammunition seizures. They besides agreed to springiness continuity to their practice connected extraditions and fortify investigations related to substance theft, with the extremity of maximizing the interaction of coordinated actions up of the adjacent SIG meeting, scheduled for January 2026,” the ministry said.

Sheinbaum said that U.S. President Donald Trump’s designation of fentanyl arsenic a limb of wide demolition wasn’t broached astatine the meeting, arsenic the designation hadn’t been made erstwhile it took place.

Sheinbaum responds to State Department’s remark astir the ‘linking’ of Mexican and US ‘analytical platforms’

In its ain connection astir the bilateral information gathering that took spot connected Dec. 11, the U.S. Department of State said that “both nations committed to enhancing quality sharing and linking analytical platforms to pre-empt and respond to drone attacks astatine the border.”

According to the nationalist information exertion institution SoundThinking, the usage of “technology with precocious analytics tin supply captious insights into borderline information portion helping instrumentality enforcement agencies proactively code information challenges.”

“Agencies tin leverage AI and instrumentality learning successful adjacent real-time for information investigation to optimize patrol strategies, place high-risk areas and emerging threats, and allocate resources much efficiently,” the institution says connected its website.

Asked astir the linking of Mexican and U.S. “intelligence platforms,” Sheinbaum said the interconnection wouldn’t beryllium permanent.

“It’s an speech of information,” she said. “It’s not that they’re going to person platforms present successful Mexico.”

#Mañanera @Claudiashein aclaró que nary habrá plataformas de inteligencia permanentes de EU en México y que se trata de intercambio de información bajo convenios y protocolos, como ha ocurrido en administraciones previas.https://t.co/ti8sAhL2nI
📹Especial pic.twitter.com/5sBXIRBigt

— REFORMA (@Reforma) December 17, 2025

Sheinbaum subsequently noted that Mexico tin petition — and has requested — to get oregon acquisition information instrumentality from the U.S. authorities that the Mexican authorities doesn’t person itself.

In specified cases, determination is simply a “formal agreement” betwixt the 2 countries and “formal protocols” that person to beryllium followed, she said.

During his sojourn to Mexico successful September, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “there are opportunities to cooperate connected equipment,” explaining that Mexico whitethorn person an involvement successful purchasing immoderate U.S. instrumentality and vice versa.

‘Energy is needed for the improvement of the country’

Energy Minister González announced that backstage companies volition put US $4.75 cardinal successful 15 star vigor projects and 5 upwind projects that volition beryllium located crossed 11 states.

She said that operation volition commence “immediately” due to the fact that onshore for the projects has been secured and permits person been issued.

Once completed, the projects “will inject an further capableness of 3,320 megawatts of generation,” González said.

Later successful the property conference, Sheinbaum said that “energy is needed for the improvement of the country.”

“… Development requires electrical energy. It besides requires different types of energy, similar gas, for example, but it chiefly needs electricity,” she said.

“… So we’re guaranteeing capable electrical vigor for the improvement of the country. And Plan México needs energy. If we privation to nutrient much successful Mexico, we request much energy. So this [investment] strategy allows america to warrant that determination is energy,” Sheinbaum said.