San Luis Carpizo, Campeche — Over a dozen U.S. Navy Seal personnel began specialized training in Mexico this week. The specialized group of 19 U.S. Navy Seal Two were granted permission by the government of Mexico last week.
“With 105 votes in favor of and one abstention, the entry of the elements to participate in a training exercise in Campeche was approved,” the Senate of Mexico said in a statement. The group are in Mexico working on special operations forces techniques.
The Senate of the Republic of Mexico said they authorized President Claudia Sheinbaum to allow 19 members of the United States Navy into the country to participate in a specialized training exercise. The training exercise is in collaboration with the Naval Special Operations Unit of the Secretariat of the Navy of Mexico
The group of United States Navy personnel arrived onboard a U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft last weekend. Members of the U.S. Navy Seal Team Two began training February 15. They will stay in Mexico until April 16, 2026.
During those two months, they will participate in an exercise called Improving the Capability of Special Operations Forces.
According to the Senate, the exercise is being held at the Marine Corps Specialized Training Center in San Luis Carpizo, Campeche and in the jurisdiction of the Carmen Naval Sector in Ciudad del Carmen.
The ruling was justified by the Secretary of the Navy Commission, Raquel Bonilla Herrera, who recalled that authorization for the entry of foreign military personnel is one of the exclusive powers of the Senate of the Republic.
That power constitutes one of the clearest mechanisms of democratic control in matters of defense and national security. She emphasized that Mexico is a sovereign nation that fully exercises its self-determination, while its foreign policy is governed by clear principles of non-intervention, peaceful settlement of disputes, international cooperation for development and respect for international law.
Therefore, cooperation exercises such as this one, under the express authorization of the Senate, “do not imply subordination or transfer of powers. On the contrary. They constitute an exercise in regulated coordination that strengthens national capacities, under civilian leadership and with full control of the Mexican State,” she explained.
Her justification was shared after Senator Gerardo Fernández Noroña stated that the entry of U.S. military personnel into Mexico “should not be accepted” under any circumstances as there is no “sincere attitude” on the part of the U.S. government, which, he recalled, recently intervened in Venezuela.
Senator Susana Zatarain García stated that her parliamentary group supports the request from President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, however, she urged the Senate’s Board of Directors to request reports on the entry of U.S. military aircraft that took place in Toluca and recently in Baja California.
Senator Ruth González Silva acknowledged that the exchange of knowledge between Mexico and the United States helps protect citizens and sovereignty, and that international cooperation in security is a legitimate and essential tool for the development of the country.
In their official statement, the Senate of the Republic of Mexico (Senado de la República) specified that President Sheinbaum instruct the Secretary of the Navy to submit a report on their activity to the Senate within 30 days of its conclusion.
