MEXICO · SECURITY
Key Facts
- What is happening President Claudia Sheinbaum has asked Mexico’s Senate to let 28 armed US Navy SEALs enter the country from Thursday, 29 October 2026 to 15 April 2027 to train Mexican sailors.
- Why it matters Foreign troops may pass through Mexico only with Senate approval, so the vote decides whether armed US special forces can work on Mexican soil for more than five months.
- The numbers 28 US SEALs would train 87 Mexican Navy personnel at two bases over 168 days, arriving on one US Air Force C-130 transport plane carrying weapons and equipment.
- Who is who US Navy SEALs are the US Navy’s elite special operations force; the Mexican trainees come from the Navy’s special forces and naval intelligence units, and the Senate’s Navy Committee examines the request.
- What to watch Whether the Senate’s Navy Committee and the full Senate vote before the planned landing at La Paz on Thursday, 29 October, and what limits they attach.
- Power Index Mexico ranks 2nd of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 71.4 points (October 2026 edition).
- What it means for you The plan covers training between two neighbouring navies, not a US operation, but it matters for US-Mexico security ties and for Mexican debates about sovereignty.
Mexico’s president wants US Navy SEALs to train her Navy’s special forces for more than five months. The Senate must approve before they land.
Mexico has asked its Senate to approve the entry of 28 armed US Navy SEALs, the US Navy’s elite special operations force. They would train 87 Mexican Navy personnel from Thursday, 29 October 2026 until 15 April 2027.
President Claudia Sheinbaum sent the request in an official letter to the Senate, the upper house of Congress. Mexican media say it went to the Senate’s Navy Committee on Monday, 26 October, and no vote has been reported.
Who Is Who in Plain English
- US Navy SEALs: the US Navy’s elite special operations force, trained for raids, reconnaissance and boarding ships.
- UNOPES: the Mexican Navy’s Naval Special Operations Unit, which would receive the US team and move it between sites.
- Senate: the upper house of Mexico’s Congress, which must authorise foreign troops before they enter.
- Navy Committee (Comisión de Marina): the Senate panel that examines naval matters and receives the request first.
What the Request Says
The letter names the event SOF 19, a course in land and maritime operations. Mexican media summarising it say the US team is SEAL Team 4.
The trainees would be 87 members of UNOPES, the Mexican Navy’s Naval Special Operations Unit, and of its Naval Intelligence Unit. That is about three Mexican trainees for each US instructor.
By unit, 31 come from the Special Forces Group, 20 from the Parachute Rifle Battalion and 24 from the Amphibious Commando Battalion. Another 12 come from the Naval Intelligence Unit.
The SEALs would fly in on a US Air Force C-130 Hercules, a four-engine military transport plane. It would carry tactical equipment, ammunition and so-called organic weapons, meaning the arms a unit normally carries.
Landing is planned at the La Paz naval air base in Baja California Sur on Thursday, 29 October. Mexican Navy special operations personnel would receive the team and move it between the two training sites.
Where and When the Training Would Run
Training would alternate between two Mexican Navy sites. The first is the Puerto Cortés naval sector on Isla Margarita in Baja California Sur.
The second is the Navy’s Advanced Training Center at Donato Guerra in the State of Mexico. The schedule has six phases between 29 October and 15 April.
The first two phases run from 29 October to 24 November on Isla Margarita. The third runs from 25 November to 15 December at Donato Guerra.
On Wednesday, 16 December, 24 SEALs would fly home on commercial airlines for the holidays. They would return on 17 January 2027, while four stay to guard the equipment.
Training resumes at Donato Guerra from 18 January to 7 March. The fifth phase runs from 8 March to 8 April and the sixth from 9 to 15 April, both on Isla Margarita.
What the SEALs Would Teach
The reported syllabus is combat skills for special forces. It covers close-quarters fighting indoors, reaction to enemy contact, tactical medicine and urban patrols.
It also covers breaching and reconnaissance, explosives detection and sniper techniques. Two maritime subjects are boarding vessels and maritime interdiction, meaning stopping and searching ships at sea.
The stated aims are to improve the capabilities of Mexico’s special forces and their operational compatibility with US forces. The reports describe a training course and do not describe any US operations in Mexico.
Why the Senate Must Approve
Article 76 of Mexico’s constitution lets the Senate authorise the president to permit foreign troops to pass through national territory. The Senate has used that power on US training visits before.
This year it approved 19 SEALs of Team 2 in February. In April it approved 96 US soldiers and marines, including 23 SEALs of Team 8.
In April, 104 senators backed the larger exercise and 105 backed the SEAL group, with three against each. The three came from Movimiento Ciudadano, an opposition party.
The April approval also asked for a Navy report to the Senate on the exercises within 30 days. Whether the new decree would carry the same request has not been reported.
What It Means for US Readers
This is US special forces training a neighbouring navy at its own request, on Mexican soil, for more than five months. It is the latest in a run of Senate-approved US training visits this year.
Mexican media note that military cooperation with the United States often sparks Senate debate over sovereignty. That debate can colour wider US-Mexico talks on security.
Travellers face no known effect, because the training takes place on Navy sites. Investors should treat it as a security headline, not a market event.
Background is in the guide to US-Mexico relations and an earlier report on the April troop request. The guide to who runs Mexico’s economy and the Mexico news hub add the wider picture.
What Is Not Known
The Senate has not announced when its Navy Committee or the full chamber will vote. The planned landing date is Thursday, 29 October.
The official letter could not be opened for this report, because the Senate gazette was not reachable. The details come from Mexican media summaries that agree on the main figures.
Reports differ on whether the request went to the Navy Committee alone or to several committees. Limits on the SEALs’ activities, the weapons they would bring and any reporting duty have not been published.
What Comes Next
The Navy Committee must examine the request and, if it agrees, draft an opinion for the full Senate. The planned first landing is at La Paz on Thursday, 29 October.
If approved, training would run to 15 April 2027, with a holiday break from 16 December to 17 January. The request covers training, and the reports mention no US operations in Mexico.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are US Navy SEALs going to Mexico?
To train 87 Mexican Navy special forces and intelligence personnel, according to the request. The course covers close-quarters combat, sniper skills, tactical medicine and boarding ships.
Have the SEALs already arrived?
No, the request is still before the Senate, and no vote has been reported. The planned landing is at La Paz on Thursday, 29 October.
Why does the Senate have to approve?
Article 76 of Mexico’s constitution lets the Senate authorise foreign troops to pass through national territory. It approved earlier visits this year, including 19 SEALs in February and 96 US personnel in April.
Will the SEALs carry out operations in Mexico?
The reports describe training only and mention no US operations in Mexico. Whether the decree will set limits on their activities has not been reported.
Where will the training take place?
At two Mexican Navy sites: Puerto Cortés on Isla Margarita in Baja California Sur, and the Advanced Training Center at Donato Guerra. The phases alternate between them until 15 April 2027.
Sources: Constitution of Mexico, Article 76, Chamber of Deputies; Senate of the Republic of Mexico; El Financiero, 27 October; Quadratín México, 27 October; Vanguardia, 27 October; Argon México, 27 October; Maya Comunicación, 27 October; El Financiero, 28 April; El Imparcial, 11 February; El Imparcial, 29 April; Quadratín México, 28 April (all accessed 28 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief