The Mexican government says it is seeking details after the incident raised questions over US activities in its territory.
Published on 25 April 2026
The Mexican government has said that two United States federal agents killed in a car crash in connection with an anti-narcotics raid – widely reported to have been CIA officers – were not authorized to operate on Mexican territory.
Mexico’s security cabinet said in a statement on Saturday that one of the US citizens had entered the country as a visitor and the other on a diplomatic passport.
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US officials have not confirmed reports that the men were agents of the CIA, Washington’s top international intelligence agency, in Mexico as part of a broader campaign against drug trafficking.
“Neither of them had formal recognition to participate in operational activities within the national territory,” the statement said, stressing the need for “full respect” for Mexican sovereignty in the field of international cooperation.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has had to balance US demands for more aggressive steps against drug trafficking with a firm insistence on national sovereignty, said earlier this week that her government would investigate whether the country’s national security law was violated.
Under the law, foreign agents must obtain federal authorization to operate in the country and cannot work directly with local officials without approval.
“Apparently, the military did not know that there were people participating who were not Mexican citizens … that foreigners were participating in the operation,” Sheinbaum told reporters earlier this week.
“This is something Mexicans should not take lightly.”
Questions are swirling about the deaths of two U.S. agents in what authorities said was a car accident in connection with a drug raid in the northern state of Chihuahua last Sunday.
Following the deaths, US Ambassador Ronald Johnson described both men as “embassy personnel”. Meanwhile, Chihuahua’s attorney general described the pair as “training officers” of the embassy carrying out routine training work.
In a statement, Johnson said the incident “reinforces our resolve to continue their mission and advance our shared commitment to security and justice to protect our people”.
Two Mexican officers were also killed in the crash, raising questions about the extent of U.S. involvement in activities on Mexican soil and whether the country’s government had full knowledge of such operations.
The Trump administration has promised to take a militaristic approach to Latin America to stop drug trafficking. It has sought to re-designate criminal organizations that seek to destabilize the US as “narco-terrorists”, designating many as “foreign terrorist organizations”.
Criminal drug trafficking has historically been outside the scope of the CIA, which has focused on gathering intelligence related to national security.
Under Trump, the US launched unilateral attacks on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and kidnapped Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, operations that have been condemned as gross violations of international rights.
In March, the US military also launched a joint attack with the Ecuadorian government against a cartel in the country.
Sheinbaum has denied any US military presence in Mexico.
On Saturday, Mexico’s security cabinet said it welcomed coordination with the US in the form of intelligence sharing, institutional coordination and technical cooperation.
It states that cooperation should proceed from a place of mutual trust.
