The Mexican government said Saturday (April 25, 2026) that the two U.S. agents who died last weekend in a car crash following a drug operation in Mexico lacked formal authorization to operate in the country.
The agents, who according to U.S. and Mexican media belonged to the CIA, entered Mexico, one “as a visitor,” without permission to engage in paid activities, and the other “with a diplomatic passport,” the Mexican Ministry of Security detailed in a statement citing immigration records.
The statement also affirms that “the Government of Mexico reiterates its respect and consideration for the deceased,” after the White House complained that the country had not shown sufficient “compassion” following the deaths of the two agents. President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that the federal government was investigating whether the two Americans were participating in an unauthorized domestic security operation, in violation of national security laws.
The two foreigners died in a car accident last Sunday in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, which borders the United States. Two Mexicans from the state’s investigative agency, including its director, also died in the crash. CBS and other U.S. media outlets reported that the two Americans, who have not been identified, worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), whose operations in places like Venezuela were officially authorized by the president last October. Today’s statement reiterates that Mexican law “does not permit the participation of foreign agents in operations within the national territory.”
The U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, had said on Sunday that the deceased were “two members of the U.S. embassy staff.” That same Sunday, the Chihuahua state prosecutor, César Jáuregui, stated that the Americans were returning from a raid on clandestine drug labs when their vehicle, part of a five-car convoy, ran off the road and plunged into a ravine. However, he later changed his story and said that they should participate in drone training.
Source: msn
