The flight path of a US spy plane shows it conducted a mysterious mission over the Gulf of California in Mexico this week.
Tracking data captured the US Air Force RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft taking off from Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska on Monday, flying southwest to California.
The Rivet Joint then headed south along the western coast of the Baja California peninsula in Mexico, moved north into the Gulf of California, and returned to base on Tuesday.
The aircraft appeared to stay in international airspace while operating near Mexico. It did not reach the end of the Gulf that is blocked by Mexico’s territorial sea.
However, the area falls under the influence of the Sinaloa Cartel, a large and notorious drug trafficking organization.
US-Mexico relations have remained strained due to continued drug smuggling and illegal immigration into the US.
The flight has sparked speculations from the military collecting communications to US officials sending a message after Trump agreed to a 30-day pause on his tariff threats against Mexico, allowing time for the country to secure its borders.
An official told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the US was using the RC-135 to conduct ‘ISR flights,’ which gather information to support military operations off the coast of Mexico.
A US spy plane left its home base in Nebraska Monday, flew southwest to California and then headed south along the western coast of the Baja California peninsula before moving north into the Gulf of California. The mission stretched into Tuesday, and its purpose is still unclear
It’s not yet clear exactly what the purpose of the flight was, but The War Zone speculated that the spy plane may be able to detect and intercept communications in the northwestern territory of Mexico.
The US Air Force describes the spy plane as supporting ‘theater and national level consumers with near real time on-scene intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination capabilities.’
The interior seats more than 30 people, including the cockpit crew, electronic warfare officers, intelligence operators and in-flight maintenance technicians.
It was designed to ‘detect, identify and geolocate signals,’ and provides on-the-spot intelligence collection, analysis, and dissemination capabilities.
When the Pentagon first announced the deportation flights on January 22, a senior military official suggested that high-end intelligence-gathering aircraft (like the RC-135) could be involved.
‘There could be some additional airborne intelligence surveillance support assets that would move down to the border to increase situational awareness,’ the official said.
But the flight map captured the aircraft soaring over Sinaloa Cartel territory, adding more mystery to the mission.
The Sinaloa Cartel is considered one of the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organizations in the Western Hemisphere, primarily involved with trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana and heroin into the US.
The US Air Force RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft is designed to detect, identify and geolocate electronic signals, providing near real time on-scene intelligence data (STOCK)
Police officers take security measures as people take part in ‘A Day Without Immigrants’ march, protesting mass deportations in downtown Los Angeles, California, on February 3
The rise of drugs in America led Trump to place 25 percent tariffs on imports from Mexico, saying it was necessary to stop illegal immigrants and narcotics from crossing the border.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum later agreed to send 10,000 members of the National Guard to the border to prevent drug trafficking from Mexico.
In return, the US committed to working to prevent the trafficking of weapons to Mexico, according to Sheinbaum, who characterized the two leaders’ conversation on Monday as good.
Trump issued a pause on Monday after Mexico took those steps.
During his first few days in office, Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America ‘in recognition of this flourishing economic resource and its critical importance to our Nation’s economy,’ the order states.
US Marine Corps deployed at the southern border in San Diego, reinforce the border wall on February 5. Overall, more than 2,000 additional troops have now been ordered to support border security efforts by the Pentagon
He has already taken steps to carry out the mass deportations he promised on the campaign trail.
Following this nationwide wave of arrests, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday the first flights of undocumented immigrants from the US to Guantánamo Bay in Cuba were underway.
Earlier today, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced that 10 ‘high-threat’ illegal immigrants had arrived at Guantánamo Bay yesterday, and are currently being housed in vacant detention facilities.
The US Northern Command, a DoD command that has an area of responsibility that covers Mexico, said Tuesday that 140 US military intelligence personnel and 500 soldiers had been assigned to the command as part of the southern border mission.
Overall, more than 2,000 additional troops have now been ordered to support border security efforts by the Pentagon, Air & Space Forces Magazine reported.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the US Northern Command and the Mexican Embassy in Washington DC for comment.
