Mexico Begins Legal Action In US Over Deaths Of Citizens in ICE Custody

Mexico Begins Legal Action in US Over Deaths of Citizens in ICE Custody and During Raids MEXICO Mexico formally asked US state attorneys general this week to open criminal investigations into the deaths of Mexican citizens in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody or during raids, marking its strongest response yet to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the move Tuesday and said the government also plans to file a similar complaint with the US Department of Justice. The United States is not legally required to act on the requests. The ministry added that the government has also sent cease-and-desist letters to detention facilities where Mexicans have died, including California’s Adelanto center, where four citizens reportedly died. Officials described the letters as a first step toward “the eventual filing of civil lawsuits” against the companies operating the detention centers in an effort to stop alleged human rights violations. The move comes a week after Mexican immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was shot and killed during an ICE raid in Houston. Salgado Araujo had no criminal record and had lived in the US for 35 years. According to Mexico’s government, 17 Mexican migrants have died during immigration enforcement operations or while in custody since US President Donald Trump began his second term in January 2025. The complaints mark an escalation in Sheinbaum’s response to Washington’s immigration policies. Earlier this year, Mexico instructed its diplomatic missions in the United States to regularly check on Mexican nationals held in ICE custody. In addition to Tuesday’s complaints, Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco Álvarez sent a letter to United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk asking his office to seek information from US authorities and assess whether the deaths are consistent with Washington’s international obligations.