Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she might take action against the local government of Chihuahua following the deaths of two CIA agents who were involved in an operation to destroy drug laboratories Sunday.
The deaths of the men and how much they were involved in the operation has sparked concerns about U.S. security activities in Mexico and whether the country's sovereignty was violated. Sheinbaum said that Mexico's federal government was not informed of the operation, something that goes against the law.
"There cannot be agents from any U.S. government institution operating in the Mexican field," Sheinbaum said Wednesday, according to CBS News.
The two men died in a vehicle crash on Sunday following the operation along with two Mexican law enforcement officials. A press release from the Chihuahua Attorney General's office noted that "two instructor officers from the United States Embassy...died in an accident while returning from the operation to destroy clandestine laboratories in the municipality of Morelos."
The release further states that the two U.S. men were "two instructor officers from the United States Embassy, who were carrying out training work as part of the exchange that is generally and normally carried out with the American authorities."
Multiple media reports this week have identified the men as CIA agents.
Chihuahua authorities eventually rejected any notion that the men had participated in the operation directly, saying they were several hours away at the time it happened and were conducting training operations.
The Mexican officials who died have been identified as Pedro Román Oseguera Cervantes and officer Manuel Genaro Méndez Montes. Both men were with the Chihuahua State Investigation Agency.
Sheinbaum has previously said that Mexico's security cabinet was unaware of any such operation. "We were not informed; it was a decision by the Chihuahua government," she said earlier this week.
CBS News reported that Sheinbaum was promising an investigation and possible sanctions against the local Chihuahua authorities if security protocols were not followed. Sheinbaum said that any security collaboration between the U.S. and Mexico needs approval by Mexico's federal government.
The U.S. has not yet identified the men killed. However, U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson acknowledged the deaths of U.S. embassy personnel on social media, writing that "This tragedy is a solemn reminder of the risks faced by those Mexican and U.S. officials who are dedicated to protecting our communities."
