By The Opinion
The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, accused Chihuahua authorities of committing “a mistake” by allowing the presence of US agents in national territory without prior coordination with the federal government, after an anti-drug operation that led to a fatal accident.
The president stated: “What there was here was a lack of state authority,” referring to the collaboration requested by local bodies with United States agencies.
The case arose after an operation carried out on Sunday to dismantle synthetic drug laboratories. Upon returning from said operation, two US agents and two Mexican officials died in a car accident.
Although The State Prosecutor’s Office assured that the agents were “instructors from the US Embassy who were carrying out training tasks,” Two sources cited by CNN indicated that they actually belonged to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and collaborated in anti-drug operations.
Sheinbaum stressed that the investigation is ongoing to determine whether the request came from the state government or the Chihuahua prosecutor’s office.
The president was emphatic in attributing the primary responsibility to the local authorities: “The fault lies with them in asking for collaboration,” she said, while adding that there should also have been notification from the US government, headed by Ambassador Ronald Johnson.
Likewise, he stressed that these types of actions contravene the current correct framework:
“It is against the Constitution and the National Security Law (…) The type of collaboration is very marked in the law.”
According to article 69 of the National Security Law, The temporary entry of foreign agents is allowed only for the exchange of information within bilateral agreements. Meanwhile, article 71 limits their functions to liaison tasks, prohibiting them from executing laws or operational actions.
Besides, Article 40 of the Constitution, amended in April 2025, establishes that Mexico will not allow foreign interference in investigations without express authorization from the Mexican State.
In this context, Governor María Eugenia Campos and Prosecutor César Jáuregui were called to appear before the Senate to explain the conditions of the collaboration.
Sheinbaum also indicated that he tried to communicate with Campos and that a meeting is planned with the Secretary of Federal Security, Omar García Harfuch, to address the issue.
The presence of foreign agents in Mexico has historically been controversial. Former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador promoted reforms to limit their actions, a position that Sheinbaum has maintained by rejecting any direct operation by foreign forces in national territory.
The episode occurs amid pressure from the Trump government to intensify the fight against cartels, including proposals for direct intervention that Mexico has rejected as a violation of sovereignty.
Keep reading:
- Mexico sends diplomatic note to the US to request explanations about the participation of US agents in Chihuahua
- Doubts about the role of the US in the fight against drug trafficking after the death of two CIA agents in Mexico
- Sheinbaum says Mexico is investigating whether the operation with US agents in Chihuahua violated the law
