Sheinbaum: Military did not know about US agents

TT

Updated 19.05 | Published 18.10

           

          Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. Archive photo. Photo: Marco Ugarte/AP/TT

The two American CIA agents who recently died in a car crash in Mexico were cooperating with Mexican authorities. But the Mexican military was not aware of the cooperation, according to President Claudia Sheinbaum.

– Obviously, the military did not know that people who were not Mexican citizens were involved, Sheinbaum said at a press conference on Wednesday.

She added that this is “not something Mexicans should take lightly” and that the government is investigating whether it may be a violation of national security laws.

Two Mexican police officers also died in the crash, which occurred on Sunday when the car, along with several other vehicles, was returning from a raid on a drug lab in the border state of Chihuahua in northern Mexico.

According to Sheinbaum, sanctions are being considered against the state government, as no representatives of US authorities can be allowed to “operate on the ground in Mexico”.

Conflicting information

The involvement of the US intelligence agency CIA was confirmed on Tuesday by three sources to the AP.

This followed a couple of days of conflicting information from the authorities about the involvement of the Americans and which organization they represented. The CIA agents were initially identified as US embassy personnel.

At an early stage, local Mexican authorities confirmed cooperation with the US, while President Sheinbaum said she was not aware of any joint drug operation.

A fine balance

The murky messages from the authorities have fueled a previous debate about the extent of US involvement in Mexico’s security operations. Sheinbaum is under heavy pressure from US President Donald Trump to crack down harder on the drug cartels. The CIA has also recently increased its cooperation with Mexican authorities, as part of efforts to stop drug trafficking.

For Sheinbaum, it's a fine balance, where she tries to maintain good ties with the United States, oppose punitive tariffs, and prevent American military involvement. Instead, she has advocated for increased intelligence cooperation.