Mexico Warns US Not to Repeat Unauthorized Involvement in Anti-Drug Operation
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum criticized the unauthorized U.S. presence in an anti-drug operation in Chihuahua, following a crash that killed two U.S. and two Mexican officials. She emphasized that Mexico demands respect for its constitution and laws, while the US has agreed to comply.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday that her government had sent a diplomatic note to the United States, stating that the unauthorized presence of U.S. officials in an anti-drug operation in the northern state of Chihuahua should not happen again.
The incident came to light after two U.S. officials and two Mexican officials were killed in a car crash on April 19 following the operation. Sheinbaum said the federal government was unaware of the involvement of the U.S. officials, who were identified by multiple sources as CIA officers.
“What we said to [the US] is that the federal government was not aware of the participation of these individuals [in the operation] and we hope it was an exception,” Sheinbaum said during her daily morning press conference.
Mexico demands that “from now on, as has always been the case, our constitution and national security law must be respected,” Sheinbaum added, noting that the US had agreed.
On Saturday, Mexico’s security cabinet issued a statement saying the U.S. officials lacked official certification to participate in security activities in Mexico and that one of them had entered as a tourist.
The deaths of the two Americans have raised US-Mexico tensions over security cooperation. The presence of U.S. personnel in anti-cartel operations is a deeply sensitive issue in Mexico.
Sheinbaum has long maintained that she welcomes intelligence sharing and security cooperation, but will not accept U.S. agents or forces participating in operations on Mexican soil.
In contrast, Donald Trump has repeatedly called for greater use of U.S. military force against Mexican cartels and threatened that the US could act unilaterally if Washington feels Mexico is not doing enough.
