Mexico Disables Four Drones Used to Monitor Migrant Smuggling at US Border

Mexico City — The Mexican Army has disabled four drones that criminal groups were using to monitor irregular migrant smuggling routes along the border with the United States, Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla Trejo announced Friday.

The actions are part of Operation Águila Alta (High Eagle), a coordinated deployment between Mexican and US authorities along the border strip linking Tijuana, Baja California, with San Diego, California. Trevilla said the four devices were neutralized on the Mexican side of the border.

“These are drones without weapons or explosive devices; they use them only to monitor the routes migrants take,” the defense secretary said during the presidential news conference on September 18.

The aircraft are commercial drones allegedly used to observe the movements of authorities and identify routes that could be used for the illicit trafficking of people.

One case occurred on September 14, when a drone that had crossed from the United States entered Mexican territory. After receiving information from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), soldiers were able to jam the device in the Nido de las Águilas neighborhood of Tijuana.

During subsequent patrols, troops detained the suspected operator of the drone and seized a handgun, magazines, cartridges and a drone controller. The suspect and the seized items were handed over to the corresponding authorities.

Operation Águila Alta involves the use of fixed and mobile anti-drone equipment, as well as coordinated reconnaissance between the two countries, with each force operating within its own territory.