Mexico to file criminal complaints in the US over deaths of Mexicans in immigration enforcement

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico plans to file criminal complaints in the United States concerning the deaths of Mexican citizens who died in immigration custody or during arrest operations linked to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Sheinbaum said 14 Mexican nationals have died while in ICE custody and that three more died in arrest operations carried out by the agency. She also referenced the recent shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, by an ICE agent, an incident that sparked protests in Houston.

Sheinbaum said Mexico “cannot turn a blind eye” to Mexicans who have died and that the criminal complaints are intended to seek accountability for what the Mexican government considers homicides or human-rights violations. She added that her government provides assistance to citizens who request it, particularly those whose “only crime is working honestly in the United States.”

Mexico’s Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said the move comes after repeated failed attempts to engage through diplomatic channels, adding that the government would go directly to U.S. prosecutors and also file civil lawsuits against private companies that operate immigration detention centers in the U.S.

A U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said there has been no increase in the rate of deaths of detainees under the Trump administration and that detainees receive due process, proper meals, water, medical care, and opportunities to communicate with family and lawyers.