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4w ago

Mexico and CIA Reject Reports of Covert U.S. Killings on Mexican Soil

Mexico’s denial spotlights a sovereignty clash poised to chill U.S.–Mexico security cooperation.

Seen through a charred vehicle, other burned vehicles litter the road after the Mexican army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," in Guadalajara, Mexico, on February 23.
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Newspapers hang on display for sale in Mexico City on February 23, a day after the Mexican army killed Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho."
Ronald Johnson, US ambassador to Mexico nominee for US President Donald Trump, during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 13, 2025.

Overview

  • President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday called CNN and New York Times accounts of CIA involvement in a March cartel killing a lie and a work of fiction.
  • The CIA, through spokesperson Liz Lyons, denounced CNN’s story on Tuesday as false, while both CNN and the Times said they stand by their reporting.
  • CNN reported an expanded CIA campaign by the agency’s Ground Branch and said operatives helped facilitate the March 28 car blast that killed Francisco Beltrán near Mexico City, a claim the State of Mexico prosecutor says remains under investigation.
  • The New York Times offered a narrower version, saying the CIA provided intelligence and planning support but had no personnel on the ground when the attack occurred.
  • Recent flashpoints, including the April 19 crash that killed two U.S. officials after a counternarcotics raid in Chihuahua and Mexico’s law limiting foreign agents, have intensified questions about U.S. roles and could force tighter rules on joint operations.