The Mexican Army disabled a drone that crossed the border into Tijuana from the U.S. side, according to the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) on Thursday.
The operation was launched after an information exchange with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The action occurred on Monday.
The drone operator was detained in Mexican territory along with a short weapon, cartridges, and the device’s control.
The drone was used by a criminal group to monitor routes for human smuggling into the United States.
A day later, Army representatives met with CBP agents in the Mexican border city to conduct a mid-term evaluation of Operation Águila Alta, which takes place in the Tijuana-San Diego border area, each force within its territory.
The operation officially began last week. The deployment covers five kilometers. Actions are conducted via ground patrols and anti-drone teams capable of jamming such aircraft within a three-kilometer radius. In total, about 800 military personnel from both countries are deployed.
The program’s second phase will conclude on September 21. It was announced days after Washington revealed it had shot down more than 300 drones linked to organized crime in the last year—a record figure.
Last Friday, Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla acknowledged the Mexican government had not yet achieved advances in the operation. The general said representatives from both countries would meet this week to evaluate Águila Alta’s results.
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson recently stressed that “as criminal organizations adapt,” both governments must stay “one step ahead.” “Through technology, innovation, and coordinated operations—each country acting within its own territory—we face constantly evolving threats and make our communities safer,” the diplomat said.
The administration of Donald Trump has focused on Mexican cartels—labeled by the White House as terrorist organizations—since the start of his second term. The Republican has constantly pressured his neighbor to drastically reduce drug flow into U.S. territory. Although various Washington officials have acknowledged advances in President Claudia Sheinbaum’s security strategy, the president has not taken his foot off the accelerator.
On Wednesday, Trump sent a document to Congress, assigning blame for substances entering his country. In his words, Mexico “must do much more to stop the flow of lethal drugs.”
Additionally, the incident occurs a week after the launch of Operation Águila Alta, where Mexico deployed 800 military personnel and equipment capable of jamming drones within a three-kilometer radius. The deployment was activated in the Tijuana-San Diego strip from August 31 to September 21, as part of coordinated actions with U.S. agencies, replicating a similar scheme previously applied in Ciudad Juárez and El Paso.
The Defense also reiterated its commitment to strengthening border security based on the principles of reciprocity, shared and differentiated responsibility, mutual trust, and respect for the decisions and sovereign territories of both nations.
The action coincides with a migration policy that has favored containing transit to the U.S. According to U.S. Border Patrol data, encounters with migrants at the Mexico border fell more than 84% between 2024 and fiscal year 2025, from over 1.5 million to 237,538. In parallel, Mexico maintains 10,000 National Guard members deployed along the entire northern border, plus between 3,000 and 3,300 military personnel usually stationed in border states.
