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Two agents reportedly from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the United States have been killed in a car crash in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, leading to questions about their activities in the country.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the matter from the podium at her morning news conference.<\/p>\n list of 3 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n She underscored that a probe is under way, as Mexican law requires that foreign agents receive federal authorisation to operate in the country.<\/p>\n US agents, in other words, cannot work directly with state-level Mexican officials without prior approval from Sheinbaum\u2019s government. It is unclear whether that standard was followed in this incident.<\/p>\n Sheinbaum also acknowledged there were conflicting reports circulating in the aftermath of the crash about the nature of the agents\u2019 presence in Mexico.<\/p>\n \u201cA full investigation must be conducted by the Attorney General\u2019s Office to determine whether the Constitution or the National Security Law was violated and to ensure that the authorities in the state of Chihuahua have access to all the accurate information,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Tensions have been high over the past year over the possibility that the US may seek to unilaterally launch ground operations in Mexico, thereby violating its sovereignty.<\/p>\n Since returning to the White House for a second term, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to take military action in Mexico to \u201ceradicate\u201d cartels and other criminal networks.<\/p>\n But Sheinbaum has rejected any such action as a red line not to be crossed in Mexican-US relations.<\/p>\n She reiterated that stance in Tuesday\u2019s news conference, while welcoming collaborative efforts to combat crime.<\/p>\n \u201cJoint ground operations are not permitted,\u201d Sheinbaum said. \u201cWhat has been agreed upon and stated very clearly with the United States government is that information is shared, and extensive work is conducted regarding joint intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n While she described her government\u2019s relationship with the US as \u201cexcellent\u201d, she did warn there could be consequences if a violation of Mexico\u2019s laws were to be discovered during the course of the investigation.<\/p>\n \u201cA formal diplomatic protest would indeed be issued, obviously, along with a request to ensure that such actions do not recur,\u201d she said, adding that she has already been in contact with the US embassy.<\/p>\nRecommended Stories <\/h2>\n