American Agents had no authorization to operate in Mexico.
Mexico City, Apr 25 (EFE).-
The two American agents who died in an accident in Chihuahua following their alleged involvement in an anti-drug operation did not have formal accreditation to carry out operational activities in Mexican territory, Mexico’s Security Cabinet reported on Saturday.
The Ministries of Defense, Navy, Security, and Foreign Affairs, along with the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) and the National Guard, expressed their condolences for the deaths of four people, two state officers and two US agents, during the accident that occurred on April 19 in Chihuahua.
Regarding the two deceased foreigners, the Mexican government detailed that, according to available immigration records, one entered the country as a visitor, without permission for paid activities, while the other entered with a diplomatic passport.
“Neither of them had formal accreditation to participate in operational activities in national territory,” the Security Cabinet stated in a press release.
Federal authorities also asserted that neither the Mexican government, its security institutions, nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were aware of foreign agents operating or planning to physically participate in any action within national territory.
Therefore, the Security Cabinet indicated it is conducting the “corresponding reviews in coordination with the competent local authorities and the Embassy of the United States in Mexico.”
“Mexican legislation is clear: it does not permit the participation of foreign agents in operations within national territory,” the press release noted.
The Mexican government insisted that international security cooperation must be developed through information exchange, institutional coordination, and technical collaboration, “always with absolute respect for national sovereignty, reciprocity, mutual trust, and without subordination.”
The statement aligns with the stance of President Claudia Sheinbaum, who on Thursday ruled out seeking a “conflict” with the United States but requested explanations to clarify the conditions under which the US agents participated in Chihuahua.
Sheinbaum affirmed that any security collaboration must be authorized by the federal Executive and warned that, if there was unauthorized operational participation, it could constitute a violation of the Mexican Constitution and Mexican laws.
The president also pointed to the Chihuahua state government for allegedly requesting collaboration without informing federal instances.
In parallel, the Governor of Chihuahua, María Eugenia Campos, announced the creation of a special investigation unit to clarify the facts and appointed Wendy Paola Chávez Villanueva, the specialized prosecutor for women victims of gender-based violence and family crimes, to lead it.
Campos stated that her government would not make pronouncements on the course of the investigation to safeguard its integrity but defended Chihuahua’s commitment to maintaining its frontal combat against organized crime and coordination with federal institutions.
The case has opened a new debate on the limits of security cooperation between Mexico and the United States, after The Washington Post reported that the two deceased Americans allegedly belonged to the CIA and had supported with intelligence an anti-drug operation in which they were also present.
The controversy occurs in a context of pressure from Washington to intensify the fight against Mexican cartels, while the Sheinbaum administration insists that bilateral collaboration cannot translate into subordination or foreign operations within national territory. EFE
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