CIA-Chihuahua Sovereignty Crisis: Federal Probe Expands After AG Resignation; Senate Weighs Compulsory Hearing Mechanism Against Campos

The CIA-Chihuahua sovereignty dispute entered a new phase on April 29 as the federal government's investigation expanded following the resignation of State Attorney General César Jáuregui Moreno on April 28. The FGR (Fiscalía General de la República) and SSPC are examining whether Chihuahua state officials violated Article 29 of Mexico's National Security Law, which reserves coordination with foreign intelligence services exclusively to federal agencies. President Sheinbaum, at her Wednesday morning press conference, maintained her position that Mexico expects full accountability and that the investigation will proceed regardless of personnel changes at the state level. The Mexican Senate's Constitutional Affairs and Public Security committees, facing Chihuahua Governor Maru Campos's refusal to attend the April 28 hearing, discussed invoking formal legal mechanisms to compel testimony — though the constitutional framework for compelling a sitting governor to appear before a federal legislative body is disputed. The Senate invited Campos again for a future date. The Chihuahua special investigative unit established by Campos (headed by Wendy Paola Chávez Villanueva) has been conducting parallel state-level inquiries, but federal authorities consider the state process insufficient given the national security dimensions. The broader pattern documented by the LA Times — at least three CIA operations inside Chihuahua in 2026 without federal notification — remains under federal scrutiny. The U.S. Embassy, which sent a diplomatic response accepting the need to 'respect Mexico's law and Constitution,' has maintained silence on the reported pattern of operations. Sheinbaum's constitutional reform to codify protections against unauthorized foreign intelligence activities remains pending in Congress.