Two members of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) have died in a traffic accident in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, raising questions about their activities in the country.
On Tuesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the issue from the podium during a morning press conference.
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He stressed that the investigation is ongoing, as Mexican law requires foreign agents to receive federal authorization to operate in the country.
In other words, U.S. agents cannot work directly with Mexican state-level officials without prior approval from the Sheinbaum administration. It is unclear whether that standard was followed in this case.
Sheinbaum also acknowledged that conflicting reports have been circulating since the crash about the nature of the operatives’ presence in Mexico.
“There must be a thorough investigation by the Attorney General’s Office to determine whether the Constitution or national security laws were violated and to ensure that Chihuahua state authorities have access to all accurate information,” she said.
Tensions have been rising over the past year over the possibility that the United States may unilaterally launch ground operations in Mexico, thereby violating Mexico’s sovereignty.
Since returning to the White House for a second term, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened military action in Mexico to “eradicate” cartels and other criminal networks.
But Sheinbaum rejected any such action as a red line that should not be crossed in Mexico-U.S. relations.
She reiterated that position at a news conference Tuesday, but welcomed cooperative efforts to fight crime.
“Joint ground operations are not authorized,” Sheinbaum said. “What has been agreed and stated very clearly with the U.S. government is that intelligence will be shared and there will be extensive work on joint intelligence.”
He said the government’s relationship with the United States was “excellent,” but warned that there could be serious consequences if violations of Mexican law are discovered during the investigation.
“Naturally, a formal diplomatic protest will indeed be issued, along with a request that such acts not occur again,” she said, adding that she had already been in contact with the US embassy.
U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson also expressed his condolences in a social media post following the crash.
“This tragedy is a sobering reminder of the risks faced by Mexican and U.S. officials who are dedicated to protecting our communities,” Johnson wrote.
“This strengthens our resolve to continue their mission and advance our shared commitment to security, justice, and the protection of our people.”
It is unclear whether and to what extent U.S. agents were involved in unauthorized ground operations in Mexico.
The Washington Post, which reported the story, initially suggested the two agents were working on a counter-drug operation, citing anonymous officials familiar with the matter.
Their car apparently left the road and crashed into a ravine early Sunday morning. The identities of the two US officials have not yet been confirmed.
Mr Johnson described the two officials as “embassy staff”. However, media reports suggest they may have been members of the CIA.
Contradictory statements from Chihuahua state authorities also compounded the confusion about who was involved in the anti-drug operation.
The Chihuahua state attorney general’s office issued a statement on Monday claiming that “only parts of the National Investigation Agency (AEI) and the Mexican military participated in the sting operation.”
Chihuahua state Attorney General Cesar Jauregui Moreno denied “interference by foreign forces,” the statement added.
State officials said the “instructor from the United States” had come to Chihuahua for “other purposes, including teaching people how to use drones.”
Separately, 40 employees of the Chihuahua state AEI and 40 employees of the Mexican National Defense Secretariat led a two-day operation that resulted in the discovery and seizure of a drug lab in the community of El Pinal, the Attorney General’s Office announced.
The office contends that Mexican law enforcement officers were simply transporting U.S. law enforcement officers to the airport and nothing more during the early morning car crash. The two U.S. officials were scheduled to board a flight from Chihuahua City on Sunday.
“We have great respect for the sovereignty of this country and for non-national agents of any kind not to directly intervene in operations of this type,” Jauregui Moreno said in a statement.
Since President Trump began his second term, the question of whether to pursue policies that violate Mexico’s sovereignty has cast a shadow over cross-border relations.
Last year, he labeled several Mexican cartels “foreign terrorist organizations,” appearing to hint at possible military action.
Privately, President Trump described cartels and other criminal networks as “illegal combatants” engaged in “armed conflict” with the United States in a notice to Congress.
To this end, he conducted a campaign to bomb suspected drug-smuggling ships in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, killing at least 180 people.
He has also attacked Venezuela twice, once in December and again in early January, culminating in the abduction and imprisonment of the country’s then leader, President Nicolas Maduro.
President Trump and his officials have described the Jan. 3 attack as part of law enforcement. President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are currently awaiting trial in New York on drug trafficking and weapons charges.
But legal experts say the attack is a violation of international law.
Immediately after Maduro’s ouster, President Trump renewed his threat that other countries could face attacks on their territory as well. His candidate was Mexico.
“We’re going to start landing now on the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico,” he told Fox News in January. “It’s very sad to see.”
Sheinbaum rejected that claim even as he stepped up the government’s anti-cartel operations.
In February, for example, the Mexican military led a high-profile operation in which they shot and killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco New Generation cartel.
