Mexico launches legal action in US over deaths of its citizens in ICE custody

Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Tuesday that it has begun filing complaints with state prosecutors in the United States over the deaths of Mexican citizens in immigration detention and during enforcement operations. This marks the strongest response yet from Mexico to deaths linked to US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Seventeen Mexican citizens have died since Trump returned to office in January last year, either while in US immigration custody or during enforcement operations. The Mexican government has also sent cease-and-desist letters to detention centers where Mexican nationals died. The first letter was sent to the Adelanto detention center in California, where four Mexican citizens have died.

Mexico said the letters demand an end to practices that may have contributed to the deaths, including delays in medical care and detention policies that fall short of medical and prison standards. The government also plans to file a complaint with the US Department of Justice through the Mexican embassy, while its consular network is assisting in bringing cases to state prosecutors.

Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco Alvarez has written to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, asking his office to seek information from US authorities and examine whether the deaths are consistent with Washington’s international obligations.

The steps follow measures announced last week by President Claudia Sheinbaum, days after a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed Mexican citizen Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during a raid in Houston, Texas, on July 7. Speaking on Monday, Sheinbaum said the issue goes beyond the government and called on all Mexicans to show solidarity with their fellow citizens living in the US. While she said Mexico was not seeking a confrontation with Washington, it could not remain silent over human rights violations.