Mexico’s Senate passed a bill to severely limit the role of U.S. law enforcement agents operating in that country. The action comes soon after the scandalous arrest of a former secretary of defense on drug trafficking charges.
Mexico’s Senate passed the proposed change to the National Security Law on Wednesday with an overwhelming majority. Current law allows the official presence of foreign agents including FBI, DEA, ATF, HSI, ICE, and CIA, among others.
✅ Con 71 votos a favor, 21 en contra y 1 abstención, se aprueba en lo general y los artículos no reservados del dictamen que reforma la Ley de Seguridad Nacional, para, entre otras cosas, establecer la definición de agentes del extranjero.
— Senado de México (@senadomexicano) December 10, 2020
The proposal, labeled SG/UE/230/2475/20, calls for the removal of any diplomatic immunity for foreign law enforcement officers for any crime or infraction while in-country.
The bill calls for Mexico’s Foreign Relations Ministry (SRE), led by Marcelo Ebrard Causabon, to approve the entrance of any agents into the country and channel any information obtained through that ministry. The proposed change also calls for federal, state, and local authorities to notify the SRE within three days of any contact, meeting, exchange of information, or phone call with any U.S. agency or other foreign officer.
Neither the law nor any recent statements by Ebrard or Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador revealed how Mexico’s SRE would prevent information leaks and infiltration by cartels.
The legislation comes weeks after U.S. authorities arrested former Secretary of Defense Salvador Cienfuegos on drug trafficking charges during a trip to California. Following that arrest, Ebrard and other Mexican politicians exerted diplomatic pressure on the U.S. government until the Department of Justice agreed to dismiss all charges. He is currently a free man while Mexican officials claim he is under investigate locally.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
Tony Aranda from Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project contributed to this report
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