On countless occasions, President Claudia Sheinbaum has said that her government cooperates with the Trump administration on security issues, including by exchanging intelligence with U.S. agencies, but will never allow U.S. personnel to participate in law enforcement operations in Mexico as such participation would amount to a violation of Mexican sovereignty.

This week, however, she has found herself in the uncomfortable situation of having to accept that officers with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) most likely did participate in a drug lab raid last weekend in the northern state of Chihuahua — without the knowledge or approval of the federal government.

According to The Los Angeles Times, the CIA’s participation in the dismantlement of a lab in Chihuahua was not a one-off, raising the serious concern that the government of the northern state — where the opposition National Action Party is in power — and the Trump administration have been acting behind the back of the Mexican government for some time.

On Thursday, Sheinbaum assigned most of the blame for the apparently secret, allegedly illegal security collaboration between Chihuahua and the United States to the Chihuahua government, although she also stressed that U.S. authorities have questions to answer.

Despite her steadfast defense of Mexican sovereignty, the president appears more willing to confront the governor of Chihuahua over the issue than U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration has the capacity to inflict significant harm on Mexico and the Mexican government, as already evidenced by the imposition of tariffs on various Mexican goods.

LA Times: CIA has participated in at least 3 operations in Chihuahua this year

Citing “sources familiar with the operation,” The Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday that four CIA agents participated in the raid of a clandestine drug lab in Chihuahua last weekend. Two of those agents were killed early Sunday when the vehicle they were traveling in veered off the road and plunged into a ravine. Two Mexican security officials also died in the accident.

Citing its unnamed sources, The L.A. Times wrote that the raid last weekend was “at least the third time this year that CIA operatives joined authorities in the northern border state of Chihuahua in an operation against a drug target.”

The Times also wrote that “the [CIA] agents in Sunday’s raid were dressed in Chihuahua State Investigative Agency uniforms to blend in with Mexican officials, said people familiar with the operation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.”

The newspaper noted that “U.S. agencies, including the CIA, regularly provide intelligence for Mexican police and the military, but participation in law enforcement operations by foreign agents is outlawed by the Mexican Constitution.”

The L.A. Times, again citing its sources, also said that “the involvement of the CIA” in operations in Chihuahua “reflects the Trump administration’s increasing demands for results in the fight against cartels on Mexican soil.”

Sheinbaum takes aim at Chihuahua for allegedly requesting collaboration with US

At her Thursday morning press conference, Sheinbaum rejected a suggestion that the CIA’s involvement in last weekend’s operation in Chihuahua amounted to a “non-conventional” invasion of Mexico by the United States.

“What there was here was an offense of a state authority,” she said, referring to the government of Chihuahua.

“That’s what this is really about,” Sheinbaum said.

#Nacional | México.- El secretario de Seguridad, Gilberto Loya Chávez, respaldó la postura de la presidenta Claudia Sheinbaum, señalando que la coordinación en materia de seguridad entre México y Estados Unidos debe existir, pero sin intervención directa. pic.twitter.com/DAfQ7G0Q1f

— El Canal de las Noticias Digital – CUU (@Canal44CUU) March 10, 2026

She said that either the Chihuahua government or the Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office requested security collaboration with U.S. authorities, citing remarks from officials in the northern border state as evidence.

“The security minister says it explicitly,” Sheinbaum said, referring to remarks Gilberto Loya Chávez made in March.

“The attorney general of the state of Chihuahua has said it. The offense of requesting collaboration [with the U.S.] is theirs,” she said.

“Of course the government of the United States, the ambassador, should have informed federal authorities,” Sheinbaum added.

“But the main failure lies with the state government, which requested this collaboration. And that’s against the Constitution and the National Security Law,” she said.

Sheinbaum said she tried to contact Chihuahua Governor Maru Campos on Wednesday but was unable to reach her. She said that Security Minister Omar García Harfuch would speak with the governor on Thursday.

The president noted that the Senate has summoned Campos and Chihuahua Attorney General César Jáuregui Moreno, and declared that it is “important that they explain under what conditions this collaboration occurred.” Jáuregui has claimed that U.S. personnel didn’t participate in the drug lab operation last weekend, asserting that the apparent CIA officers were in fact “instructors from the U.S. Embassy” who were giving a course on drone operation in Chihuahua.

Sheinbaum said that a claim from Campos that the federal Ministry of National Defense was aware of the involvement of U.S. personnel in an operation in Chihuahua is “false.”

She said that while the Army participated in the drug lab raid in Chihuahua on the weekend, “that doesn’t mean that the Defense Ministry or the commander of the area or region knew that there was a presence of U.S. citizens in operations or in training.”

Sheinbaum also said she had asked the National Public Security Council to send a statement to the leaders of Mexico’s 32 federal entities reminding them of the applicable laws “for security collaboration with any government in the world and in particular with the U.S. government.”

She has stressed on repeated occasions this week that any security collaboration with a foreign government must be authorized by federal authorities.

On Wednesday morning, Sheinbaum noted, once again, that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote to U.S. Ambassador Ron Johnson to seek information about the United States’ security collaboration with the state of Chihuahua.

Caught between a rock and a hard place 

Sheinbaum said on Tuesday that if a Federal Attorney General’s Office investigation confirms there was a joint operation between the United States and Chihuahua, her administration will send a protest note to the U.S. government and request that such collaboration cease.

On Thursday, she said that her administration doesn’t want to “escalate a problem with the U.S. government, but nor can we ignore our Constitution and our laws and compliance with them.”

“That is the work of the president,” Sheinbaum said.

“… Complying with the law is not optional,” she said.

Sheinbaum orders probe into whether CIA operation in Chihuahua violated Mexican law

Given that she has been an ardent defender of Mexican sovereignty, and very clear in her view that U.S. participation in security operations in Mexico would be a violation of that sovereignty, Sheinbaum would open herself up to criticism if her government doesn’t respond firmly to the U.S. government’s apparent willingness to violate Mexican laws. However, a central consideration for the president is no doubt a desire to not antagonize — or at least overly anger — Trump and his administration just ahead of the review of the USMCA trade pact.

Asked specifically whether the United States “violation of national sovereignty” and breach of Mexico’s National Security Law would “complicate” the bilateral relationship, Sheinbaum said there is no reason it should. However, she didn’t deny that such violations had occurred.

What the president did say is “we don’t want to create a conflict with the United States.”

If we’re working well, if we’re making progress, what we want is for the [bilateral security] understanding to be complied with,” she said.

Sheinbaum frequently points out that said understanding is based on various principles, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

On Wednesday, she reiterated her view that “sovereignty is inviolable.”

Conflicting opinions 

While Sheinbaum has concluded that U.S. personnel did participate in the drug lab raid in Chihuahua last weekend, García Harfuch, the federal security minister, asserted on Wednesday that U.S. agencies have “never” participated alongside federal forces in a security operation in Mexico.

“We have constant exchange of information with U.S. agencies, including that which you mention [the CIA],” García Harfuch told a reporter at a press conference.

“… But it is very important to mention that … while there is there is exchange of information with U.S. agencies, they have never participated in any field action of the federal security cabinet,” he said.

“What we’re aware of is what the Chihuahua attorney general has said,  … that [U.S. personnel] hadn’t participated in an operation,” García Harfuch said.

“I understand now that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has closer communication with the [U.S.] Embassy in order to get more details about what happened,” he added.

Even though CIA officers dressed in Chihuahua State Investigative Agency uniforms allegedly participated in last weekend’s drug lab raid alongside Mexican soldiers, García Harfuch declared that “none” of the operations carried out by federal security forces has had the physical participation of a foreign individual.”

“First of all because the law doesn’t allow it,” he said.