MEXICO · US RELATIONS · SECURITY
The New York Times reports that Washington wants US security personnel to accompany operations against drug cartels inside Mexico, something Mexico’s president says its laws do not allow.
Key Facts
- —The ask A memo proposes a path for US security personnel to accompany anti-cartel operations inside Mexico.
- —The timing The push comes nine days before the US midterm elections on Tuesday 3 November.
- —The law Mexico’s Constitution rejects foreign intervention, and its security law bars foreign agents from arrests and searches.
- —Mexico’s stance President Claudia Sheinbaum holds that Mexican law does not allow joint operations on Mexican soil.
- —Still open No public reply to the memo has surfaced, and its full terms are unpublished.
- —Prediction markets Polymarket gives a US drone, missile or air strike on Mexican soil by 31 December a 3.5% chance (25 October, 5:06 a.m. ET).
- —Power Index Mexico ranks 2nd of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 71.4 points (October 2026 edition).
The Trump administration is pressing Mexico to let US security personnel accompany operations against drug cartels on Mexican soil, according to a report published on Saturday 24 October. The newspaper, citing US and Mexican officials, says Washington wants a visible security result before the US midterm elections on Tuesday 3 November.
A memo delivered to Mexican authorities in recent weeks outlines a path for US personnel to join operations inside Mexico, the report says. President Claudia Sheinbaum has long rejected US forces on Mexican soil, and by early Sunday no public reply to the memo had surfaced.
In Plain English
- Joint operations: American and Mexican personnel working side by side in the field, which President Sheinbaum says Mexican law does not allow.
- The memo: a document US officials delivered to Mexico in recent weeks, proposing that US security personnel accompany operations. Its text is not public.
- Claudia Sheinbaum: Mexico’s president, who has repeatedly rejected US military operations on Mexican soil.
- Foreign Terrorist Organization: a US legal label the State Department applied to eight criminal groups, including the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels, from 20 February 2025.
What the Report Says
“Hoping for a win before the midterm elections, the Trump administration is increasing pressure on Mexico to expand its cooperation against cartels, with an eye toward joint operations with the United States.”
The newspaper’s report, as quoted by Political Wire on Saturday 24 October
The same excerpt says US officials delivered a memo “proposing a path to potentially having U.S. security personnel accompany counter-cartel operations inside Mexico.” Mexican outlets summarising the full article, including El Financiero and UnoTV, add that the memo also seeks wider intelligence sharing.
They say the push follows polls suggesting Republicans could lose Congress amid anger over gasoline prices and inflation. White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis told the newspaper it is unacceptable for foreign terrorist organisations to control large areas of Mexico, in El Informador’s Spanish rendering.
The report adds that Mexico has detained or killed most people on a US target list, which eased the pressure for a time. Mexico’s Defence Ministry reported on Sunday 22 February 2026 that special forces had tried to detain “El Mencho” in Tapalpa, Jalisco, with US information, and that he died during an air transfer to Mexico City.
What Mexico Has Said
Mexico’s government declined to comment on the report, MVS Noticias says, and the Rio Times found no published reply from the Foreign Ministry, the presidency or the US Embassy by early Sunday. Sheinbaum’s standing position is already on record.
On Friday 22 May, a day after meeting US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin at the National Palace, she said cooperation is coordination and that “there is no subordination.” She added that she told him “with full transparency” what Mexico’s laws are, that “joint operations on territory are not permitted by our laws and constitution” in El Imparcial’s Spanish transcription, while Infobae renders the same point as operations by US agents on Mexican territory being barred.
On Thursday 22 October she said two US agents who died in an operation in Chihuahua had no authorisation to take part and were carrying firearms, Reto Diario reported. She left it to federal prosecutors to decide whether any law was broken.
The Legal Limits on Foreign Agents
Article 40 of the Constitution, in a paragraph added on Tuesday 1 April 2025, says the Mexican people will “under no circumstances” accept foreign interventions or other acts that harm the nation’s sovereignty, such as violating Mexican territory by land, water, sea or air. A further paragraph rejects foreign intervention in any investigation or prosecution without the express authorisation and collaboration of the Mexican state.
Article 76 lets the Senate authorise the president to allow foreign troops to pass through national territory, and Article 89 binds the president’s foreign policy to non-intervention. Sheinbaum cites the Constitution and Mexican laws in general terms and has not named articles in the statements the Rio Times reviewed.
Foreign Agents Under the National Security Law
- Article 6: foreign agents are foreign officials who carry out police, inspection or supervision duties in their own countries.
- Article 69: they may enter Mexico temporarily to exchange information under bilateral agreements.
- Article 71: they may not use powers reserved for Mexican authorities, make arrests or search private property.
- Article 71: they may carry only firearms that the Defence Ministry authorises.
- Articles 72 and 73: they have no immunity for crimes, and Mexico can ask their government to withdraw them.
These rules were added to the law and published on Friday 18 December 2020, and the text was last amended on Friday 14 November 2025. The Rio Times found no clause in either the Constitution or that law that uses the words joint operation.
What Prediction Markets Say
Polymarket, a platform where traders bet real money on events, offers a contract on whether the US launches a drone, missile or air strike on Mexican soil by 31 December. A second contract asks whether the United States invades Mexico in 2026.
Polymarket, 25 October, 5:06 a.m. ET
- US strike on Mexico by 31 December: 3.5% chance, about US$770,000 traded, between about 3.3% and 4.2% over the past week.
- US invades Mexico in 2026: about 1.6% chance, about US$263,000 traded.
The first price did not jump after the report, and neither bet covers what the memo proposes. The first excludes ground incursions and small-arms fire, and the second needs an offensive to take control of Mexican land.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What It Means for You
For US readers, the report puts a cross-border security question into the last nine days before the midterm elections on Tuesday 3 November. Washington is looking for a visible result, while Sheinbaum’s public line is coordination without joint field work.
For travellers, border-state businesses and investors, the report alone changes nothing on the ground, because no authorisation is reported and Mexico’s position has not changed. Mexican outlets summarising it say US military officials warned the White House that acting without Mexico’s consent could end security cooperation, and López-Dóriga adds that it could also set off cartel violence and a migration crisis.
Trump said at a White House lunch on Thursday 15 October that the cartels control Mexico and that he had told Sheinbaum so, El Financiero reported. Sheinbaum rejects that description, Infobae México says.
What to Watch
- A public answer to the memo from Sheinbaum or the Foreign Ministry.
- Any statement from the White House or the US Embassy confirming the memo.
- Tuesday 3 November, the US midterm elections that the report ties to the push.
What Is Not Known
The memo’s text, its date and the officials who delivered it are not public, and the Rio Times could not open the newspaper’s full article, so it relies on the quoted excerpt and Mexican summaries. It is also unclear whether “accompany” means armed personnel in the field, as some Mexican headlines say, or a lesser role such as advisers.
No US or Mexican official has confirmed the memo on the record in the sources reviewed, and Mexico has not said whether it will reply. The quoted White House statement addresses cartels, not the memo itself.
The size and rules of any US role, such as who would command the personnel and under which Mexican agency, are also unknown. Whether any arrangement could fit within Article 40 and the National Security Law, or would need a change of law, is not addressed in the sources reviewed.
Connected Coverage
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the report say the US wants in Mexico?
It says US officials delivered a memo proposing a path for US security personnel to accompany counter-cartel operations inside Mexico. The memo’s text has not been made public.
Has Mexico agreed to joint operations with US agents?
No agreement has been reported. President Sheinbaum said on Friday 22 May 2026 that Mexican laws and the Constitution do not allow joint operations on Mexican territory.
Can US agents legally operate in Mexico?
Mexico’s National Security Law lets foreign agents work on information exchange under bilateral agreements and bars them from arrests, searches and unauthorised firearms. Article 40 of the Constitution rejects foreign intervention in investigations without Mexico’s express consent.
Why is this coming up now?
The report links the push to the US midterm elections on Tuesday 3 November, when the administration wants a visible security result. A White House spokeswoman told the newspaper that cartel control of large areas of Mexico is unacceptable.
What should US readers watch next?
Watch for a reply from President Sheinbaum, the Foreign Ministry or the US Embassy. Any US step taken without Mexico’s consent could end security cooperation, according to the report.
Sources: Political Wire, excerpt of the New York Times report, 24 October 2026, Constitution of Mexico, Articles 40, 76 and 89, text in force after the reform of 7 October 2026, National Security Law, Articles 69 to 73, text in force after the amendment of 14 November 2025, Federal Register, Foreign Terrorist Organization designations, 20 February 2025, US Code, 2 U.S.C. 7, date of congressional elections, El Financiero, 24 October 2026, Infobae México, 24 October 2026, UnoTV, 24 October 2026, El Informador, 24 October 2026, MVS Noticias, 24 October 2026, López-Dóriga Digital, 24 October 2026, El Imparcial, 22 May 2026, Infobae México, 22 May 2026, Reto Diario, 22 October 2026, El Informador, Defence Ministry communiqué, 22 February 2026, US Department of Homeland Security, photo of 21 May 2026. All opened on 25 October 2026. Prediction-market prices: Polymarket, 25 October 2026, 5:06 a.m. ET. Quotes from Spanish-language sources are translated by The Rio Times.
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