Texas Sen. John Cornyn Wants U.S. Soldiers To Train Mexican Forces To Fight Cartels

Texas Sen. John Cornyn is seeking for U.S. soldiers to train Mexican counterparts to fight cartels in the country. The senator celebrated that provisions of a bill to that end were included in the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act.

According to Border Report, the bill will now go to a conference committee. "Texas shares more than 1,200 miles of border with Mexico and binational cooperation is essential to stop the flow of deadly drugs and keep people safe," Cornyn said in a statement.

"This legislation empowers the Department of War to train Mexican military forces in counternarcotics efforts to crack down on cartels and bolster national security in both countries," he added.

If approved, a pilot program would be approved so Mexican forces get tactical training in U.S. military bases. The training would include learning how to operate helicopters, joint analysis of "key nodes of activity" of cartels and finding out where money originates to finance these organizations.

The initiative was cosponsored by independent Sen. Angus King, who said "every day families across our country lose loved ones to the devastating epidemic of illegal drugs."

"This is an urgent crisis that needs to be addressed from every possible angle – especially by stopping drugs before they enter the country," he said back then.

The initiative comes as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed this week that cartels are placing bounties on U.S. law enforcement officials. The agency said in a statement that the threats include payments of up to $50,000 for assassinations of senior officials, $5,000–$10,000 for kidnappings or non-lethal assaults, and $2,000 for doxxing or gathering intelligence on agents. The department said the bounty system is part of "an organized campaign of terror against federal law enforcement."

According to the department, cartel-linked networks have deployed "spotters" — individuals stationed on rooftops in neighborhoods such as Chicago's Pilsen and Little Village — who are equipped with firearms and radio communications to track the real-time movements of ICE and CBP agents.

DHS also alleges that sympathetic domestic groups have provided logistical support, including doxxing federal personnel and staging protests designed to obstruct enforcement operations.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, however, denied being aware of the allegations.

Speaking at her daily press conference, Sheinbaum said her administration was not aware of them, adding that the alleged offers take place inside the U.S. and therefore it is American officials who should inform their Mexican counterparts about it.

"I asked the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection and there is no information that the U.S. sent to Mexico," she said. "They were talking about the U.S. We are requesting the information but we had none, we became aware of it through the DHS' publication."

Sheinbaum went on to say Mexican intelligence is not aware that cartels are placing bounties on U.S. immigration officials, but she will wait for the U.S. report to delve into the matter further.