Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) has pushed back on claims that drone activity along the US-Mexico border has increased, insisting that surveillance flights remain at normal levels.
The statement comes amid an ongoing binational effort known as “Águila Alta” (High Eagle), a joint operation between Mexican and US forces aimed at detecting and neutralizing drones operated by organized crime groups. These unmanned aircraft have reportedly been used by criminal organizations for smuggling and surveillance along the border region.
According to officials, the operation—despite months underway—has yet to yield concrete results in curbing illicit drone use. Still, Sedena maintains that this lack of progress should not be confused with a spike in drone traffic overall, drawing a clear distinction between the challenges of the anti-drone campaign and the actual volume of aerial activity in the area.
The border region between Mexico and the United States has become an increasingly contested space for aerial surveillance, with both criminal groups and government agencies deploying drone technology for reconnaissance, tracking, and in some cases, smuggling operations.
For the full details on Sedena’s statements and the status of the joint operation, read the original report at jornada.com.mx.
Source: Defensa afirma que no hay aumento de operación de drones en la frontera con EU (jornada.com.mx). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: Chris Hunkeler, BY-SA 2.0 (via Openverse).