Mexican reform reins in DEA partnership. Why now?

Over the past four years, Mexico’s relationship with the United States has faced any number of tests – from Donald Trump’s infamous statements about Mexican citizens on the 2016 campaign trail, to his hanging tariffs over Mexico’s head if it didn’t cooperate on immigration.

But none made diplomatic waves like the arrest of a former Mexican official in Los Angeles.

In October, U.S. agents arrested Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos, the previous Mexican administration’s top defense official, on charges of assisting a drug cartel during his years in office. Mexico was blindsided, straining relations across the border. And this