President Claudia Sheinbaum sent a letter to Mexico's governors Friday reminding them that any security cooperation with foreign agencies must go through federal channels, a move that turns the deaths of two reported CIA officers in Chihuahua into a test of presidential authority, sovereignty, and the limits of U.S.-Mexico anti-cartel cooperation.
The letter came after two U.S. officials and two Mexican investigators died in a vehicle crash in Chihuahua following an operation linked to the dismantling of clandestine drug laboratories. The U.S. officials were initially described as embassy personnel, but The Washington Post, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that they worked for the CIA. The CIA has declined to comment publicly on their identities.
