Mexico City, Mexico - The US State Department on Saturday announced a "historic" new bilateral initiative with Mexico aimed at cracking down on cross-border gun smuggling.

Mission Firewall will see Mexican authorities obtain access to US technology that is used to track and monitor illicit activity at the US-Mexican border.

The operation was launched at the first meeting of the US-Mexico Security Implementation Group, formed at the beginning of September during meetings between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Mexican counterpart Juan Ramon de la Fuente as an attempt to jointly combat drug trafficking and arms smuggling.

Both countries will work to improve collaboration on investigations and increase intelligence sharing, as well as assist one another in pursuing prosecutions.

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"Key objectives include facilitating Mexico's expansion of the use of eTrace and ballistic imaging technology to all 32 Mexican states, advancing information-sharing platforms, and increasing bilateral investigations and prosecutions," the State Department said in a statement published on its website.

"The US will increase inspections and coordination with Mexico to stop the southbound flow of firearms."

US Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson called the initiative "historic" in a series of posts on social media, and said that "Mission Firewall marks a new chapter in US-Mexico cooperation."

"For the first time, the US & Mexico are implementing joint inspections, real-time info-sharing, and expanded investigations to stop weapons fueling cartels."

Relations between the US and Mexico have been strained since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, who has unleashed an all-out assault on immigrants rights, as well as a tariff war on friend and foe alike.