Mexico is denying that it has an agreement with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to combat narco-traffickers, just a day after the agency indicated otherwise.
A statement from the DEA released Monday announced a “bold bilateral initiative” to strengthen collaboration between the United States and Mexico in the fight against cartels.
The DEA said the so-called Project Portero is aimed at dismantling what they call cartel “gatekeepers” who control drug smuggling corridors along the southwest border.
But Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters Tuesday she heard about the project at the same time as the public.
“There is no agreement with the DEA,” Sheinbaum said
Sheinbaum did say four members of the Mexican police force attended a workshop in Texas, which was mentioned in the DEA press release, but that no Mexican security forces have entered into an agreement with the U.S. agency.
The disagreement comes just days after Mexico sent 26 cartel figures to the United States to face prosecution — seemingly a step in closer security collaboration between the two countries, as Mexico attempts to again delay President Donald Trump’s tariff threat.
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Cattle from Mexico have been barred from the United States for most the past year to prevent the parasite from entering. Ranchers in Sonora say this method was a mistake. -
Mexico’s foreign secretary says 14,000 Mexican nationals remain in immigration detention in the United States as Mexico pursues consular and legal action. -
The move comes after a nearly yearlong ban of Mexican cattle into the United States to protect against the New World screwworm parasite. -
The San Luis port of entry from Sonora, Mexico, is Arizona’s westernmost border crossing, and could see delays for four to five months starting later this month. -
No cases of the flesh-eating New World screwworm parasite have been reported in Arizona, but USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in the state has recommendations for ranchers to protect against it.
