Sheinbaum Blames Chihuahua Governor for CIA Agents Operation, Threatens Federal Sanctions

At her April 23 mañanera, President Sheinbaum escalated the political confrontation over the April 19 CIA convoy deaths in Chihuahua, directly blaming Governor Maru Campos and state security officials for violating Mexico's constitutional framework. Two CIA officers and two Mexican local officials were killed when their convoy crashed on the Chihuahua–Ciudad Juárez highway while returning from a raid on clandestine drug laboratories in the municipality of Morelos. Sheinbaum stated: 'We were not informed; it was a decision by the Chihuahua government.' She said she is weighing possible federal sanctions against Chihuahua state for allowing US agents to participate in security operations without notifying the federal government or the Foreign Affairs Secretariat (SRE). Sheinbaum noted the Chihuahua state prosecutor had already changed his public account of the operation multiple times. CBS News reported the Mexican military and federal government were completely unaware of the joint operation. The episode has sharply escalated tensions between the Sheinbaum federal government and the PAN-governed border state, with opposition parties accusing the administration of using the incident to attack a political rival.