Undercover Backstopping Project

The Undercover Backstopping Project aims to enhance the quality and effectiveness of undercover operations in Mexico by providing recommendations on how the Mexican government could close critical gaps in Mexico’s legal protections and enhance identity management systems for undercover agents. The project has three primary objectives: to access and strengthen legal protections, design sustainable systems and training, and implement and validate the pilot program. The project will deliver tangible products that strengthen U.S. security interests and bilateral law enforcement cooperation. • The project will assess existing federal and state legal frameworks governing undercover operations in Mexico and develop recommendations for robust protections that safeguard UC agents and their identities. • The project will design a sustainable, technically sound backstopping system for creating, maintaining, and securing government-issued identity documents for undercover personnel. • The project will develop and pilot a basic undercover training course tailored to the Mexican legal context. The project will implement a limited-scope but fully functional pilot with selected Mexican agencies to demonstrate effectiveness and generate a replicable model that serves long-term U.S. security interests.