Sheinbaum Reassures Mexico Over FAA Pacific Warning and U.S. Military Flight to Toluca After Venezuela Raid
The FAA on Jan. 16 issued 60‑day NOTAMs urging caution over the eastern Pacific and parts of Central and South America, citing "military activities" and possible satellite‑navigation interference amid months of U.S. maritime strikes on suspected drug‑trafficking vessels (Operation Southern Spear), extensive Coast Guard search efforts and a recent near‑miss between civilian and military aircraft. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico waited for written U.S. assurances and was given precise coordinates confirming no U.S. flights would cross Mexican territory, described a U.S. military transport at Toluca as an authorized logistical flight carrying Mexican public servants (not needing Senate approval), and announced a joint U.S.–Mexico security meeting to pursue tangible actions against cartels — comments she tied to sensitivity after the U.S. raid to capture Nicolás Maduro and renewed U.S. threats.
📌 Key Facts
- U.S. forces carried out separate late‑December Eastern Pacific strikes over two operational days: a three‑boat convoy strike on one day and two additional boat strikes the next; those actions were reported to have killed eight people (three on the first vessel, five in the later attacks).
- The Dec. 30–31 convoy strike occurred in international waters roughly 400 nautical miles southwest of the Mexico–Guatemala border; Southern Command has described the vessels as operating on known trafficking routes but has not publicly provided evidence of drugs on board.
- SOUTHCOM said the convoy included an unusual three‑boat close formation and claimed narcotics were transferred among the boats; Southern Command publicly released video of both the two‑vessel and three‑vessel strikes and described the targets as vessels operated by designated terrorist organizations.
- The U.S. Coast Guard launched an extensive search‑and‑rescue effort — including an HC‑130J from Sacramento covering more than 1,000 square nautical miles and over 65 hours of coordinated searching with partner nations and civilian ships — but suspended the search after finding no survivors or debris; searchers faced 40‑knot winds, nine‑foot seas and limited assets due to distance.
- Reporting emphasized a contrast with an earlier September follow‑on strike that killed survivors from a disabled boat: this time SOUTHCOM said it immediately tasked the Coast Guard with SAR, but the earlier incident has drawn congressional and legal controversy and remains part of the broader debate over the campaign.
- Operation Southern Spear also included a pre‑dawn boarding and seizure of the Motor/Tanker Olina in the Caribbean by U.S. Marines and sailors launched from USS Gerald R. Ford and supported by an Amphibious Ready Group; SOUTHCOM framed such actions as part of an ‘‘unwavering’’ campaign to end illicit activity in the Western Hemisphere.
- On Jan. 16 the FAA issued NOTAMs urging U.S. operators to exercise caution over the eastern Pacific and parts of Central and South America for 60 days, warning of possible 'military activities' and satellite‑navigation interference at all altitudes (including arrivals/departures); the advisory followed months of U.S. maritime strikes and a December near‑miss between a JetBlue flight and a U.S. refueling tanker.
- Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico waited a couple of hours for written U.S. assurances that no U.S. military flights would cross Mexican territory related to the FAA advisory; U.S. officials provided precise operational coordinates, Mexican authorities publicly said the NOTAM had 'no implications for Mexico,' and Sheinbaum characterized a U.S. military transport at Toluca as a logistical flight carrying Mexican public servants to training (authorized by Mexico’s defense secretary and not requiring Senate approval). A joint U.S.–Mexico statement set a security meeting to pursue 'tangible actions' against cartels and to curb fentanyl and weapons flows.
📰 Source Timeline (12)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 20, 2026
5:57 AM
Sheinbaum reassures Mexico after US military movements spark concern
New information:
- Confirms that Mexico waited 'a couple hours' until it received written assurances from the U.S. that no military flights would cross Mexican territory in connection with the FAA eastern‑Pacific NOTAM.
- Clarifies that the U.S. provided precise operational coordinates and that Mexican authorities formally stated the FAA advisory had 'no implications for Mexico.'
- Provides a more detailed political framing of the Toluca military transport visit, including explicit mention of Sen. Clemente Castañeda’s criticism and Sheinbaum’s assertion that Senate approval was unnecessary because it was a 'logistical' training operation authorized by the defense secretary.
- Reiterates that Sheinbaum and Trump spoke again last week about cartel‑related U.S. military threats and underscores a joint U.S.–Mexico statement about an upcoming bilateral security meeting to produce 'tangible actions' against cartels and fentanyl and weapons flows.
12:23 AM
Sheinbaum reassures Mexico after U.S. military movements near country spark concern
New information:
- Confirms that Mexico waited 'a couple hours' until receiving written U.S. assurances that no U.S. military flights would cross Mexican territory after the FAA advisory.
- Quotes Sheinbaum more fully describing the Toluca U.S. military transport as a 'logistical' operation taking Mexican public servants to the U.S. for training, authorized by the Secretary of Defense and not requiring Senate approval.
- Reiterates that the U.S. provided precise operational coordinates and that Mexican authorities then publicly stated the FAA warning had no implications for Mexico’s airspace.
January 19, 2026
7:41 PM
Sheinbaum reassures Mexico after US military movements spark concern
New information:
- Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government waited for written U.S. assurances that there would be no U.S. military flights over Mexican territory after the FAA’s eastern Pacific advisory, and that Washington had not given Mexico advance notice of operations.
- Sheinbaum said the U.S. provided precise coordinates of its operations, leading Mexican authorities to state the FAA advisory had no implications for Mexican airspace.
- Images of a U.S. military transport plane at Toluca airport triggered domestic political questions; Sheinbaum described the flight as a 'logistical' training trip taking Mexican public servants to the U.S., authorized by Mexico’s Secretary of Defense and not requiring Senate approval.
- Sheinbaum linked public sensitivity over these events to Trump’s unilateral raid to capture Nicolás Maduro and his renewed threats to take direct military action against Mexican drug cartels, while emphasizing Mexico will not accept violations of its sovereignty.
- A new joint U.S.–Mexico statement set a security meeting for Friday to pursue 'tangible actions' against cartels and to curb fentanyl and weapons flows across the shared border.
January 17, 2026
12:20 PM
FAA warns about flying in Central, South America and eastern Pacific, citing possible ‘military activities’
New information:
- Fox piece confirms the FAA described the advisories as covering specific oceanic flight regions: Mexico, Central America, Panama, Bogota, Guayaquil and Mazatlán, plus eastern Pacific airspace.
- Article reiterates that the NOTAMs warn of potential risks from 'military activities' and satellite‑navigation interference for aircraft at all altitudes and phases of flight.
- Story recaps the December near‑miss between a JetBlue Curaçao flight and a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker, and situates the advisories in the context of months of U.S. strikes on suspected drug‑trafficking boats and the January raid that captured Nicolás Maduro.
3:57 AM
FAA urges pilots to exercise caution over eastern Pacific, citing 'military activities'
New information:
- FAA issued a series of NOTAMs on January 16, 2026 urging all U.S. aircraft operators to 'exercise caution' over the eastern Pacific near Mexico, Central America and parts of South America.
- The FAA says 'potential risks exist for aircraft at all altitudes, including during overflight and the arrival and departure phases of flight,' and the alerts will remain in effect for 60 days.
- The warning explicitly cites 'military activities' and possible satellite navigation interference in the region, following nearly four months of U.S. strikes on alleged drug‑trafficking boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that Washington says have killed at least 115 people in 35 known strikes.
- Article recalls a December near‑miss in which a JetBlue flight out of Curaçao halted its ascent to avoid a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker, underscoring collision risks as U.S. military presence increases.
January 09, 2026
2:14 PM
US forces seize oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea in pre-dawn mission
New information:
- Reports a new Operation Southern Spear maritime action: U.S. Marines and sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear boarded and "apprehended" the Motor/Tanker Olina in the Caribbean Sea in a pre‑dawn mission.
- Specifies that forces launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier to conduct the boarding, with support framed as coming from the Navy’s Amphibious Ready Group including USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio and USS Fort Lauderdale.
- Includes new U.S. Southern Command messaging on X describing these tanker apprehensions as part of "the Department of War’s Operation Southern Spear" and emphasizing an "unwavering" mission to end illicit activity and "restore security in the Western Hemisphere."
January 03, 2026
4:33 AM
Coast Guard halts search for suspected smugglers after U.S. strike
New information:
- Confirms that the U.S. Coast Guard has officially called off the roughly 65‑hour search for suspected smugglers who went overboard after the Dec. 30 convoy strike, stating no survivors or debris were found.
- Provides Coast Guard attribution that the missing people were reported about 400 nautical miles off the Mexico–Guatemala border and that assets were 'extremely limited due to distance and range constraints.'
- Details search conditions: 40‑knot winds and nine‑foot seas in the search area, complicating rescue efforts.
- Adds a direct quote from Coast Guard Capt. Patrick Dill explaining that the likelihood of a successful outcome is now 'very low' given elapsed time, environmental conditions and resources.
- Reports that Colombian President Gustavo Petro posted on X that the people appeared to survive the strikes and said the Colombian Navy was willing to assist.
- Recaps broader casualty context from other Southern Spear strikes: survivors detained and repatriated in mid‑October, a presumed‑dead survivor after a Mexican Navy search was halted, and congressional controversy over a Sept. 2 follow‑on strike that killed two initial survivors.
1:09 AM
US Coast Guard searches for survivors of boat strikes as odds diminish days later
New information:
- The Coast Guard confirms it is still searching the eastern Pacific for people who jumped from alleged drug‑smuggling boats when U.S. forces struck three vessels about 400 miles southwest of the Mexico–Guatemala border.
- Search and rescue began Tuesday afternoon after the military notified the Coast Guard of survivors in the water, with a plane launched from Sacramento covering more than 1,000 square miles and coordinating over 65 hours of search with partner nations and civilian ships in 9‑foot seas and 40‑knot winds.
- Southern Command states three people were killed on the first boat, while people on the other two jumped overboard before those vessels were hit; the Pentagon claims the three boats had transferred narcotics among themselves prior to the strikes but has not provided evidence.
- The piece reiterates that as of Friday the Trump administration counts 35 known boat strikes and at least 115 people killed in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific campaign.
- The article highlights that the September follow‑up strike which killed survivors on a disabled boat has drawn accusations of criminal conduct from some Democratic lawmakers and legal experts, contrasted with the administration’s defense of the action as lawful.
- It notes prior cases of survivors from earlier strikes, including a Mexican Navy search suspended after four days and two men from a submersible vessel later repatriated to Ecuador and Colombia.
January 02, 2026
10:08 PM
Coast Guard searches for survivors after US strikes suspected narco-terrorist vessels in Eastern Pacific
New information:
- Confirms that the Dec. 31 three‑vessel convoy strike in the Eastern Pacific occurred about 400 nautical miles southwest of the Mexico–Guatemala border in international waters.
- Details that the first vessel in the convoy strike left three suspected narco‑terrorists dead; crews on the other two vessels abandoned ship before follow‑on strikes sank them.
- Reports that the U.S. Coast Guard launched a search‑and‑rescue operation around 3 p.m. Tuesday, deploying an HC‑130J from Sacramento to search an area over 1,000 square nautical miles.
- States that as of Friday the Coast Guard had coordinated more than 65 hours of search efforts, working with partner nations, commercial fishing boats and AMVER‑listed vessels.
- Notes that SOUTHCOM publicly released video of both the initial two‑vessel and the later three‑vessel kinetic strikes and described the targets as vessels operated by designated terrorist organizations on known narco‑trafficking routes.
January 01, 2026
2:44 AM
U.S. military strikes 5 more alleged drug boats, killing 8
New information:
- Clarifies that late‑December Southern Spear activity consisted of two separate operational days: a three‑boat convoy on Tuesday and two additional boats on Wednesday.
- Specifies casualty distribution: three killed on the first boat in Tuesday’s convoy; five killed in Wednesday’s separate attacks.
- Describes unusual three‑boat close formation convoy and Southern Command’s claim that narcotics had been transferred among the boats prior to the Tuesday strike.
- Highlights that this time Southern Command publicly stressed it had immediately tasked the Coast Guard with search‑and‑rescue, in contrast to an earlier incident where survivors were killed in a follow‑on strike.
- Reiterates that Southern Command has not disclosed where the attacks occurred or provided public evidence of drugs on board, beyond asserting the boats were along known trafficking routes.