Mexican Prosecutor Who Helped C.I.A. Secretly Operate in His State Flees to the U.S.

The prosecutor, who faces arrest in Mexico after allowing C.I.A. officers into Chihuahua state, is under the protection of the U.S. government, according to U.S. and Mexican officials. A Mexican former prosecutor facing arrest after allowing Central Intelligence Agency officers to operate in his state has fled to the United States and is now under the U.S.

government’s protection, according to U.S. and Mexican officials. The former prosecutor, Guillermo Zuany Portillo, shepherded C.I.A. officers for more than six months beginning last year as they trained forces in his state, Chihuahua, joined those forces on counter-cartel missions and provided expertise during ground operations, a New York Times investigation revealed this week. Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, had repeatedly said she did not want U.S.

forces taking part in operations on the ground in Mexico, calling it a breach of sovereignty. Under the Trump administration, meanwhile, the C.I.A. sought to expand its activity in the country, and saw Mr. Zuany as a partner to help it do so quietly.