President Sheinbaum Says Presence of US agents in Mexico “should not be underestimated”
This article by Emir Olivares and Alonso Urrutia was originally published in the April 22, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.
Mexico City. The presence of U.S. agents in an operation against organized crime in Chihuahua “is something that should not be taken lightly,” as it is a matter of national security and sovereignty, emphasized President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.
She pointed out that in security collaboration between Mexico and the United States, the partners must comply with the Constitution and the National Security Law, so any work for their agents must be accredited by the Secretariat of External Relations (SRE).
“We are verifying whether they were accredited or not,” she said at Wednesday’s morning press conference regarding this case that came to light after the two American agents lost their lives in an accident after returning from an operation in the Chihuahua mountains to dismantle drug labs.
The President emphasized that, given this potential violation of national laws, the Foreign Ministry sent a letter to the United States Ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, “requesting all relevant information, stating that this is not part of the security protocol. It is a matter of national security and sovereignty, which is why what happened is so serious.”
When pressed about what was requested in the letter, she explained: “We are expressing our concern about what happened. And we are asking for information about exactly what these people were doing, when they entered. In short, everything related to it.”
Even though the US government has denied information to Mexico, as in the case of the kidnapping of Sinaloa cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the head of the Executive Branch expressed confidence that in this case Washington will hand over everything related to the presence of its two agents.
“Let’s hope so. One of the key elements is mutual trust. When there’s an issue like this, it needs to be clarified. It’s not permitted by law for any agent, any person coming to perform a security task, to participate directly with any entity of the Republic without going through the Secretariat of External Relations and (without complying with) the protocols. They have to provide the information; today’s government is different.”
The President said she will speak with the governor of Chihuahua, Maru Campos, so that she can also clarify the matter.
“But it must be very clear, both to the United States and to state governments, that security cooperation must be within the framework of understanding, within the Constitution and the National Security Act.”
The President read Article 71 of the National Security Law, which states that foreign agents who need to collaborate in the country need accreditation from the SRE and that “they may not exercise the powers reserved to Mexican authorities.”
In response to the statements by the state governor (a member of the PAN party) that members of the National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA) participated in the operation, Sheinbaum Pardo countered: “Indeed, local authorities are supported in this way; there are protocols in place. However, the Defense Secretariat was unaware that individuals who were not Mexican citizens were participating in the operation. This is a crucial point; any relationship with the United States, particularly regarding security, must necessarily be approved by the federal government, specifically the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE). This is stipulated in the Constitution and the laws.”
The head of the Executive Branch stated that a review was conducted to determine if the information was given to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, or the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection, “and the participation” of these US agents was not reported.
“We do not accept field participation in the operations, we have made that clear to the United States, we have other forms of collaboration and cooperation.”
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