Mexico Expels CIA Agents for Unauthorized Anti-Drug Operations

Original article: México expulsa agentes de la CIA que participaron ilegalmente en operativo contra el narcotráfico

President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed that two agents from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) were expelled from the country following a formal request from the Federal Government. The U.S. operatives were involved in an anti-drug operation in the Tarahumara Mountains of Chihuahua alongside local authorities but lacked the necessary authorization to conduct intelligence work on Mexican soil.

According to the president, four CIA agents participated in the operation: two died during the actions, while the two survivors were removed from the country through a diplomatic note sent to the United States embassy.

«The embassy was asked to have them leave the country through a note, and they complied. There were four agents, two who died and two who did not have accreditation, and we requested that they leave the country,» she stated at a press conference.

The agents entered Mexican territory with diplomatic passports as tourists, a legal status that did not allow them to engage in intelligence activities without following the established protocols under Mexican law.

Sheinbaum: «They Were Asked to Register or Leave the Country»

Sheinbaum explained that any foreign officials intending to conduct such activities in Mexico must first obtain approval from the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs and the Security Cabinet, which grants a license or specific stay authorization. Failing to notify their purpose or register their mission meant the agents violated legal frameworks, prompting their expulsion.

«There is a procedure or protocol to approve their license or stay for intelligence activities through the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs and the Security Cabinet, but they did not register (…) they were asked to register or leave the country, and in discussions between the U.S. embassy and the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs, they decided it was best to withdraw,» she noted, in statements reported by RT.

She revealed that in the note sent by the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs to the U.S. embassy in Mexico, Washington was requested to provide explanations regarding what had happened, who these agents were, what they were doing, and when they entered the country.

«There was no information provided about these individuals’ participation; we do not accept field involvement in operations, and we have made this very clear to the U.S. Government,» she affirmed, while insisting that the situation needs clarification.

«This is not part of the security protocol we have agreed upon, in terms of the understanding we have with them; this is a matter of national security and sovereignty, which is why what happened is significant,» the president emphasized.

The incident has escalated to the Attorney General’s Office, which has taken over the investigation and summoned the governor of Chihuahua, María Eugenia Campos Galván, who is an opponent of Sheinbaum’s administration.

Previously, the president had criticized the state governor for having violated national sovereignty by not informing the Federal Government about the operation carried out on April 18.