Mexico considers curbing foreign agents after general’s arrest in US
The Mexican president has proposed tightening restrictions on “foreign agents,” in the wake of a diplomatic row with the US that was sparked by the arrest of a former top general in Los Angeles.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador proposed a draft document to the senate on Friday to regulate the activities of foreign law enforcement in the country.
According to the document, foreign agents operating in Mexico must share any information they obtain with the authorities.
They would have no immunity for crimes or for overstepping the limits of their authority, it said.
The proposals will regulate “a long-standing complaint about the presence and participation of foreign agents in Mexico,” said Ricardo Monreal, the leader of Lopez Obrador’s party in the senate.
Mexico’s proposed amendment would also make it mandatory for most Mexican officials to submit a written report, within three days, following any interaction with a foreign agent.
Though the president did not mention the United States in the draft proposal, he has lately been highly critical of Washington, for the arrest of a former defense minister, General Salvador Cienfuegos, on US soil on charges that included drug trafficking and money laundering.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Washington had violated a 1992 pact that all investigations related to the Latin American nation must be shared with Mexican authorities.
The US later dropped charges against Cienfuegos, allowing him to return to his home country.
Prosecutors said in a court filing that the move was taken due to “sensitive” foreign policy considerations.
In a reaction to Mexico's proposed legislation, a spokesperson for the US Embassy in Mexico City said, “We value our security cooperation with Mexico and are committed to continue to work together to resolve our common security challenges.”
The draft document is due to be discussed by the senate’s public security and national defense committee.
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