Mexico Looks to Regulate Foreign Agents After General’s Arrest

(Bloomberg) -- Mexico is seeking to regulate the presence of foreign agents in the country after the arrest of a former top general led to diplomatic tension with the U.S.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador sent a bill to senators to reform the national security law to help regulate the presence of foreign agents in Mexico so they act within the framework of bilateral cooperation, Ricardo Monreal, the leader of Lopez Obrador’s party in the Senate, said on Twitter.

Lopez Obrador’s administration was caught off guard when a former defense minister, General Salvador Cienfuegos, was arrested in the U.S. on charges that included drug trafficking and money laundering. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said the U.S. violated a 1992 pact that required Mexico be notified of the investigation and because of that the nation threatened to cut off cooperation with the U.S.

Read more: Mexico Threatened All U.S. Cooperation Over General’s Arrest (2)

The U.S. later dismissed its case against Cienfuegos, allowing him to return to his home country. Prosecutors said in a court filing that sensitive and important foreign policy considerations outweighed the government’s interest in pursuing the prosecution.

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