WASHINGTON—The White House said on April 22 that President Donald Trump is dissatisfied with the Mexican government’s response to the deaths of two CIA agents in Mexico.

The comments followed Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s statement that no agents from any U.S. government institution may operate in Mexico without approval from Mexico’s federal government.

“I think the president would agree that some sympathy from Claudia Sheinbaum would be well worth it for the two American lives that were lost,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News. Leavitt did not deny reports that the deceased were working for the CIA and participated in an operation to dismantle drug laboratories in Mexico.

Leavitt said that the Mexican government’s response is insufficient in light of ongoing U.S. efforts to combat drug cartels and reduce drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States.

“We have seen some cooperation from President Sheinbaum,” Leavitt said, adding that Trump “always wants to see more cooperation” when U.S. actions benefit both Americans and Mexicans.

The dispute followed several days of conflicting statements from authorities after the two agents died in a vehicle crash over the weekend while returning from destroying a clandestine drug lab in northern Mexico. A U.S. official and two sources confirmed the CIA’s involvement to The Associated Press on April 21.

On April 22, Sheinbaum stated she is considering possible sanctions against the government of Chihuahua, a state bordering Texas, for allowing CIA agents to participate in an operation to dismantle drug laboratories. She said that any security collaboration with the United States must be approved by Mexico’s federal government.

“There cannot be agents from any U.S. government institution operating in the Mexican field,” Sheinbaum said during a news briefing. She stated that such operations are not part of current security protocols or the formal understanding between Mexico and the United States.

The two agents died in an April 19 car crash in Chihuahua along with two Mexican officials. Chihuahua Attorney General César Jáuregui Moreno said the four officials were on their way back from an operation targeting drug laboratories in the municipality of Morelos when the incident occurred.

In February, the White House warned Mexican drug cartels not to target U.S. citizens after it was revealed that the United States provided intelligence to the Mexican government in its operation that killed cartel leader El Mencho, whose real name is Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes.

Sheinbaum said she was not aware of any direct coordination between the state and staff from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, adding that cooperation is limited to only intelligence-sharing.

In February, the United States aided a Mexican government operation that killed Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, an infamous drug lord and leader within the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

“The United States provided intelligence support to the Mexican government,” the White House said after the operation.

On March 7, Trump hosted nearly a dozen Latin American leaders in Florida for a summit focused on regional issues and announced a new military coalition to combat drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere.

During the event, Trump signed a proclamation formally creating the new military coalition.

As part of the effort, the U.S. Southern Command announced in March that Ecuadorian and U.S. military forces conducted joint operations against designated narco terrorist organizations in Ecuador.