The United States has invaded Mexico … by mistake, it seems, prompting widespread speculation on how such a strange mishap occurred and putting U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth under a microscope.
A group of American defense contractors mistakenly landed on a beach near Playa Bagdad in northeast Mexico on Nov. 17, about 12 miles south of the U.S. border, and posted signs deeming the area “restricted,” according to reports.
Of course, the Mexican Navy showed up to see what the heck was happening. Luckily, no violence erupted, and the situation was resolved peacefully.
A news station in Texas posted a photo of one of the signs on social media with a Defense Department warning that the beach “Has Been Declared A Restricted Area By Authority Of The Commander.”
The Daily Beast reported the Mexican Navy removed the signs without incident and directed the group of contractors back to the United States to South Texas, where they were hired by Hegseth to install the signs on the U.S.-Mexico border declaring a so-called “National Defense Area III.” It’s part of the Trump administration’s efforts to shore up the border.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico blamed changes in the water and topography for the error.
“Changes in water depth and topography altered the perception of the international boundary’s location, with the Pentagon adding that contractors would “coordinate with appropriate agencies to avoid confusion in the future,” the news outlet The MeidasTouch said on Threads.
Social media erupted, blaming Hegseth for the absurd blunder.
“Hegseth’s guys need to have a woman who knows the directions,” Threads user Joe Howie declared.
Another user thinks the screw-up was more than a misunderstanding.
“That wasn’t accidental. This administration is incompetent. Military uses GPS for everything.”
Americans are getting tired of the Trump administration’s daily fumbles, Threads user Bobbie Doubrava stated.
“Can we have one day where we’re not a damn embarrassment?”
Another user Wyvette Johnson might have said it best, “They are going to keep playing with this drunk in charge of the military and we’re gonna end up in an awful situation. They best leave Mexico alone.”
News outlets are reporting the Mexican government has launched an investigation into the blunder.
The Mexican Navy and Foreign Affairs Department issued a joint statement, according to The Daily Beast.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has contacted the U.S. Embassy in Mexico about this incident,” the agencies said.
“The Mexican Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (CILA) will begin technical consultations to fully clarify the incident and will review the maps and instruments that mark the border between both countries, as established by existing boundary and water treaties.”
Seems like quite a coincidence that the surprise intrusion happened on the same day Trump said he’d be “OK” with U.S. military strikes on Mexican drug cartels, which he has said before.
“Would I launch strikes in Mexico to stop drugs? It’s ok with me. Whatever we have to do to stop drugs,” he said on Nov.17 in the Oval Office while taking questions from reporters.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected Trump’s suggestion again during a Nov. 18 press conference.
“It’s not going to happen,” Sheinbaum declared, according to CBS News.
“He [Trump] has suggested it on various occasions or he has said, ‘we offer you a United States military intervention in Mexico, whatever you need to fight the criminal groups,’” she explained.
“But I have told him on every occasion that we can collaborate, that they can help us with information they have, but that we operate in our territory, that we do not accept any intervention by a foreign government,” she added.
