Ecuador’s 2024 raid on the Mexican embassy in Quito shocked the international community and severed diplomatic ties between the two nations. Raiding a foreign embassy is tantamount to trespassing upon a foreign country’s property. The political fallout has not been trivial — Mexico filed an ICJ (International Court of Justice) lawsuit and cancelled all current and future diplomatic relations with Ecuador. Andrés Manuel López Obrador (Mexico’s President at the time of the incident) called the raid a “flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico.” Mexico’s current President Claudia Sheinbaum has maintained the diplomatic suspension “for as long as Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa remains in office.” Several other Latin American nations also condemned Ecuador’s actions by taking diplomatic action. Chile, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Colombia and Honduras recalled their diplomats; Venezuela closed its embassy in Ecuador and declared solidarity with Mexico. Nicaragua also severed ties with Ecuador.
The armed raid on Mexico’s embassy was a direct reaction to Mexico granting asylum to former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas. On April 5, 2024, armed Ecuadorean security forces entered the embassy and arrested Glas on corruption charges.1 Following his arrest, Glas was imprisoned at La Roca prison; he was later evacuated following an attack by fellow inmates. Last October, the US State Department refused to allow Glas to enter the United States citing his history of corruption2. According to an official statement from the US State Department “”Correa and Glas abused their positions as former president of Ecuador and former vice president of Ecuador, respectively, by accepting bribes, including through political contributions, in exchange for granting favorable government contracts.” To further complicate matters, the ICJ rejected Mexico’s emergency action request against Mexico3 in May of 2024. Ecuador filed its own lawsuit against Mexico stating it “”blatantly abused” its diplomacy by harboring Glas. The case is ongoing and could take years to work its way through international court. As of May 2025, Jorge Glas remains imprisoned awaiting trial4.
References:
- https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/ecuadors-ex-vp-glas-evacuated-prison-after-attempted-killing-lawyer-says-2025-01-05/
- https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/former-ecuador-president-vice-president-barred-entering-us-2024-10-09/
- https://www.dw.com/en/icj-rejects-ecuador-request-in-mexico-diplomatic-dispute/a-69161086
- https://www.freedom969.com/world-news/ecuador-judge-sends-former-vice-president-jorge-glas-to-trial