Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday she was unaware that U.S. embassy personnel were operating alongside Chihuahua state authorities after a vehicle crash that killed officials from both countries.
Two U.S. embassy staff and two Chihuahua state officials died in the crash on Sunday following an operation to dismantle clandestine drug laboratories in the municipality of Morelos. Sheinbaum said her government would review whether any aspect of the operation breached national security law.
State Attorney General Cesar Jauregui later told local media there had been a misunderstanding: the U.S. officials who died did not take part in the laboratory raid.
"In Chihuahua there was no participation of any agent of any foreign entity in the operation," Jauregui told Grupo Formula.
Jauregui said roughly 80 Mexican personnel participated in the raid. He added that the U.S. officials, whose identities have not been released, had been picked up after the operation at a separate location where they had given a class on flying drones and were being transported to the state capital when the accident occurred.
Sheinbaum said during her daily morning press conference that she would request a meeting between U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson and Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco to discuss the incident and clarify the facts.
The presence of U.S. personnel in anti-cartel efforts is a sensitive subject in Mexico. Sheinbaum has repeatedly stressed that while intelligence sharing and security cooperation are important, Mexico will not accept foreign boots on the ground. By contrast, U.S. President Donald Trump has advocated for greater use of U.S. military force against Mexican cartels.
The U.S. embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment. State authorities identified the Mexican victims as the director of the state's investigation agency and an officer. Ambassador Johnson posted on X mourning the incident but did not identify the U.S. staff who died.
What Happens Next
Mexico's federal government has opened a review to determine whether national security laws or protocols were breached and to clarify the role, if any, of foreign personnel in state anti-drug operations. Officials have pledged transparency as the investigation proceeds.
