Mexico to seek charges over deaths in ICE custody
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said July 9 that her government plans to seek criminal complaints in the United States over the deaths of Mexican citizens while in immigration custody or during anti-immigration operations.
Since President Donald Trump launched the current immigration crackdown, at least 14 Mexican nationals have died in the custody of US Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), and three more have reportedly died in arrests conducted by the agency. Most recently, on July 7, an ICE agent shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national who had been living in the US without legal documentation for more than three decades.
His killing—which sparked protests in Houston, where Araujo had lived for nearly 35 years, and throughout Mexico—marked at least six people shot dead in ICE operations since early 2025, when Trump returned to office and launched a campaign of mass deportations. In addition to several formal diplomatic protest letters to the US government, demanding a "prompt and thorough investigation," Sheinbaum's government has also filed a complaint with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). However, in light of the new deaths and the apparent lack of tangible progress in the United States, the Mexican government has decided to escalate the matter to the criminal justice system.
"We cannot turn a blind eye to the Mexicans who have died," Sheinbaum said during her daily press conference. "We cannot allow the mistreatment of our brothers and sisters who are in the United States—our fellow citizens. Therefore, we will propose other measures."
She added that her government is prepared to assist all citizens who request it, but especially to "Mexicans whose only crime is working honestly in the United States."
In addition to formally requesting that the US Department of Justice open criminal investigations into the killings, Sheinbaum said her government will bring civil lawsuits in the US courts against the companies that operate detention centers for ICE.
The announcement represents a significant escalation as relations between the two neighbors continue to worsen. Addressing the press during that day's conference, Mexico's Foreign Secretary Robert Velasco stated that a request will also be made to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk to demand protection for Mexican nationals in ICE custody.
The move underscores Mexico's growing willingness to challenge US immigration enforcement through international and legal channels, as pressure mounts for accountability over deaths tied to detention and arrest operations. With tensions already strained, the moves could further deepen the diplomatic rift between Washington and Mexico.
From JURIST, July 10. Used with permission.
See our last report on the struggle in Texas.
Mexico takes legal action in US criminal courts over ICE deaths
The government of Mexico on July 14 announced that the government has initiated several criminal complaints in response to the deaths of Mexican immigrants in the custody of US Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE). President Claudia Sheinbaum's administration has begun filing complaints with US state prosecutors through the Mexican Embassy, and sending cease-and-desist letters to US detention centers where Mexican nationals have died.
The head of Mexico's Secretariat of Foreign Relations (SRE), Roberto Velasco Alvarez, also sent a communication to United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. Additionally, the Sheinbaum administration plans to file a complaint with the US Department of Justice.
The SRE has not provided further details about the criminal complaints, but said that the first letter was addressed to the Adelanto Detention Center in California, where four Mexican nationals, including José Guadalupe Ramos Solano, have died. The letters identify lack of "access to timely and efficient medical care," and sub-standard medical policies as reasons for the deaths and request their "immediate cessation." The UN communication requests an investigation of the deaths and analysis of "the compatibility of these events with international obligations."
While at least 17 Mexican immigrants have died in ICE custody, the most recent was that of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, a 35-year US resident. Araujo died on July 7 after being shot by an ICE agent in Houston. US authorities maintain that Araujo was evading arrest by attempting to run over an ICE agent, while his family believes he was unknowingly followed on his way to work and then killed. He had no criminal record.
The 17 deaths occurred in Georgia, Texas, Arizona, California, Missouri, Florida, Illinois and Louisiana, with Texas, California and Arizona being the states with the highest Mexican immigrant population. As of 2023, a total of 10.9 million Mexicans had immigrated to the US, representing 23% of the 47.8 million foreign-born US residents. (Jurist)
US-Mexico tensions escalate
During remarks at the Fentanyl Free America Summit, DEA administrator Terry Cole, declared that the Mexican government and drug cartels are "one in the same." Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum dismissed the claims as "unfortunate," "political," and damaging to joint US-Mexico anti-drug efforts. The spat came amid escalating tensions over Washington's decision to bring drug trafficking and weapons charges against a slew of Mexican officials, including Sheinbaum ally and Sinaloa governor Ruben Rocha Moya. While Sheinbaum has called on the United States to provide evidence of wrongdoing, former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador has accused the Trump administration of using sham charges to weaken Mexico's ruling leftist party.
This comes as tensions mount over ICE violence against Mexican citizens. Following the murder of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Sheinbaum announced that Mexico is filing criminal charges in US courts on behalf of the 17 Mexican citizens killed by ICE—14 while in detention and three in field operations. (NACLA Update)
On July 1, the US announced its refusal to renew the US-Mexico-Canada trade deal, which Mexico seeks to maintain. (Jurist)