At her Monday morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum faced questions about the arrival of a U.S. military plane at the airport in Toluca, México state, on Saturday.
The arrival of the U.S. Air Force plane came at a particularly sensitive time in the Mexico-U.S. security relationship as U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this month that the United States would begin targeting Mexican cartels on land, while on Friday the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued advisories urging U.S. airline pilots to “exercise caution” when flying above the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico, and above the Gulf of California, due to military activities and global navigation satellite system interference.
Speculation that the U.S. could take military action against Mexican cartels in Mexico is growing, even though Sheinbaum spoke to Trump last Monday and subsequently asserted that such an intervention could be ruled out.
On Monday morning, she assured reporters that the arrival of the U.S. plane in Toluca wasn’t in any way sinister, but rather a routine part of bilateral security cooperation.
Sheinbaum is a staunch defender of Mexican sovereignty, and frequently stresses that her government would never authorize or tolerate any kind of U.S. intervention in Mexico against Mexican cartels, six of which were designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government last year.
Why did a US military plane touch down in Toluca?
A reporter noted that a U.S. Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft touched down at Toluca Airport on Saturday, and highlighted that opposition lawmakers have pointed out that the Senate wasn’t consulted about the entry to Mexico of the plane.
Sheinbaum asserted that there was no need for the Senate to be consulted given that no U.S. troops had come into the country.
She said that authorization for the flight was granted by the Ministry of Defense in October, and told reporters that “it had to do with a training issue.”
“… It’s not something, let’s say, exceptional. … They’re logistical tasks that they carry out,” Sheinbaum said.
Later in the press conference, the president said that a group of people from the federal Security Ministry boarded the U.S. plane to travel to the United States to undergo training.
“Who authorizes this? The Ministry of National Defense, mainly,” Sheinbaum said.
📽️ VIDEO | Sheinbaum aclara aterrizaje de avión militar de Estados Unidos en Toluca: ¿Qué dijo? 🛩️ pic.twitter.com/MyEjStYM6r
— El Economista (@eleconomista) January 19, 2026
She said that the Security Ministry officials would undertake training with the United States Northern Command for around one month and subsequently return to Mexico on a Mexican Air Force plane.
Asked whether Mexico requested the training or the United States offered it, Sheinbaum responded:
“It’s part of the [bilateral] agreements. [Personnel] from the United States also come here to train, it’s very important that this is known.”
Sheinbaum conceded that it would have been better for the Mexican officials to have traveled to the United States on a Mexican Air Force plane.
“But … [their travel on the U.S. plane] was authorized and it was authorized some time ago,” she said.
Sheinbaum stresses that US plane was not armed
Asked whether the U.S. plane was carrying weapons, Sheinbaum responded that “of course” it was not.
Asked about the number of U.S. personnel on the aircraft, the president said her government would provide that information as well as details on how many Mexican officials boarded the plane to travel to the United States.
She highlighted that U.S. military planes have come into Mexico “on other occasions,” but noted that “the difference” now is that the aircraft landed at Toluca Airport, located about 60 kilometers west of central Mexico City.
Asked why the U.S. plane didn’t land on Saturday at the military base at the Felipe Ángeles International Airport, also located in México state, Sheinbaum responded:
“It was a condition that was established. Indeed, [U.S. military planes] should land at military air bases, but in this case they landed in Toluca and it was authorized by the Ministry of Defense.”
Sheinbaum responds to FAA warnings
Sheinbaum told reporters that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense were “immediately” alerted to the advisories to U.S. airline pilots issued by the FAA “due to military activities and global navigation satellite system interference” above the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico, Central America and South America, as well as above the Gulf of California.
Those two ministries are responsible for authorizing “the entry of any aircraft into Mexican territory,” she said.
Sheinbaum said that her government contacted the U.S. Embassy in Mexico to find out “exactly” what the FAA was referring to.
She said that the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT) issued a statement in response to the FAA’s warnings when the government obtained “certainty,” in writing, that there was no U.S. military flight taking place “over Mexico.”
The SICT statement said that a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) pertaining to Mexican airspace was of a “preventive nature” and asserted that there were “no operational implications or restrictions for Mexico, or Mexican airlines or operators.”
Sheinbaum said that her government was given “the locations” of U.S. military flights in the region “and they were in international waters.”
“… It had nothing to do with national territory,” she said.
Sheinbaum said that she didn’t receive any information about the FAA advisories during her call with Trump last Monday.
“There was no communication, apart from the communication issued [by the FAA] at that time, which is natural,” she said.
The FAA issued a total of seven NOTAMs last Friday urging U.S. pilots to “exercise caution” when flying in overwater areas off the coasts of Mexico, Central America, Colombia and Ecuador due to military activities and global navigation satellite system interference
The validity of each of the NOTAMs is from Jan. 16 to Mar. 17. The two-month validity of the NOTAMs suggests “a prolonged period of possible military planning in the region,” The New York Times reported.
Sheinbaum assesses the impact of the first year of Trump’s second term
A day before Trump reaches the first anniversary of his second term, Sheinbaum was asked to assess the past year in light of the “pressures” Mexico has faced from the U.S. president.
She responded that the return of Trump to the White House has created “a change for the entire world in many senses.”
In support of her statement, Sheinbaum cited the U.S. government’s implementation of protectionist policies over the past year — including tariffs on a range of Mexican goods — as well as Trump’s “vision” of “greater [U.S.] participation in international affairs.”
“What do we think? … We always seek a relationship of respect for Mexico — that our sovereignty, our territorial integrity, our decisions, are respected; that there is no interference in what we decide,” she said.
🇲🇽🇺🇸 “Ha sido un cambio para todo el mundo”: Sheinbaum evalúa el primer año de Gobierno de Trump
La presidenta mexicana confió en consolidar una relación de respeto a pesar de las constantes tensiones bilaterales.https://t.co/lPygBvNNU7 pic.twitter.com/LvUXCEjSxt
— RT en Español (@ActualidadRT) January 19, 2026
“[With] ‘we’ I’m referring to the people of Mexico or the whole country. Decisions in Mexico are made by the people. And we’re elected by the people, I’m elected by the people,” Sheinbaum said.
She also noted that “the economic integration” between Mexico and the United States is “very important,” and highlighted that “there are 40 million Mexicans in the United States” (including people with Mexican ancestry) and “more than a million estadounidenses” (U.S. Americans) in Mexico.
“So, we seek a good relationship. In addition, we’re neighbors, we’re trade partners. We seek, with the defense of Mexico’s principles, a relationship of respect. And so far, in the context of all the international circumstances, we’ve achieved that, and that’s what we want going forward,” Sheinbaum said.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
