Mexico Quietly Approved New U.S. Surveillance Hub in Juárez Despite CIA Backlash: Report

Mexico's federal government quietly approved a new intelligence-sharing arrangement that will allow multiple U.S. agencies to operate inside a major surveillance complex in Ciudad Juárez, according to a report by Drop Site News, even as President Claudia Sheinbaum's administration has publicly pushed back against unauthorized CIA-linked activity in the country following the deaths of two U.S. officials in April.

The report states that representatives from the FBI, DEA, ATF, Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection are expected to work from the 18th floor of Chihuahua's new Centinela Tower in Juárez, a sprawling surveillance and intelligence hub operated by the state's Secretariat of Public Security.

According to four senior Chihuahua security officials cited by Drop Site, the agencies will focus on intelligence-sharing tied to drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, organized crime and migration enforcement.

The development comes weeks after a diplomatic dispute erupted following the April 19 deaths of two alleged CIA officers and two Chihuahua officials in a car crash after a counternarcotics operation in the Sierra Tarahumara region. The incident prompted Sheinbaum to publicly state that Mexico's federal government had not authorized foreign agents to participate in operational activities inside the country.

"There cannot be collaboration from a state government, particularly on security matters," Sheinbaum said on April 22, citing Mexico's National Security Law, which limits foreign participation to intelligence-sharing and technical cooperation.

Mexico's Security Cabinet reinforced that position in a statement three days later, saying neither the federal government nor the Foreign Ministry had knowledge that foreign agents "were operating, or were going to physically participate, in any operational action within national territory." The statement added that "Mexican legislation is clear: it does not permit the participation of foreign agents in operations within national territory."

Despite that public backlash, Chihuahua officials confirmed to Drop Site that the collaboration surrounding the Centinela Tower has federal approval and builds on years of cross-border intelligence coordination. The surveillance system already integrates drones, license plate readers, facial-recognition technology and thousands of cameras across the state.

Security analyst Patricia Escamilla-Hamm told the outlet that foreign personnel could legally conduct "intelligence, information and planning work" inside the tower, distinguishing that from direct participation in raids or arrests.