On April 6, armed Ecuadorian police broke into the Mexican embassy in Quito to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas who currently faces graft charges. As a result, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador broke diplomatic ties with Ecuador immediately after the raid. 

Glas has lived in the embassy since December, with Mexico approving his request for asylum there on Friday. Ecuador had previously asked permission in March to enter the embassy to detain Glas. Still, they forcibly entered as they believed the recent asylum offer was illegal since people facing charges should not have the opportunity to seek asylum. 

Mexico claimed the raid was “an outrage against international law,” supported by the rule that embassies are protected spaces. 

Glas has been moved to La Roca, a maximum-security prison in Guayaquil under crimes such as corruption, money embezzlement and bribery — among others — during and after his vice presidency under former president Rafael Correa. Glas was convicted in 2017 and 2020 and now faces new charges.