Mexico Seeks Charges Over Deaths of Mexicans in ICE Custody

Mexican officials are seeking criminal charges in the deaths of 17 Mexicans who died in U.S. custody or during immigration enforcement operations under the Trump administration.

Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said Thursday the country wants to initiate “forceful legal actions” in response to Tuesday’s shooting death of Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Houston, which Velasco called a “painful tragedy.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum “instructed us to initiate forceful legal actions to respond to this painful tragedy,” Velasco said in Spanish, adding that his country would “respond to protect the human rights of Mexicans in the United States.”

The request for criminal charges carries no legal weight as Mexico has no legal authority inside the United States, but it does raise the stakes in diplomatic tensions between the neighboring countries.

According to the Mexican government, 14 Mexicans have died in detention centers and three have died during ICE operations since President Donald Trump’s second term began.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Thursday that there has been “NO spike in deaths” among detained migrants over the past decade and that only ".008% of the detained population” has died under the Trump administration. (Immigrant advocacy groups, however, have claimed the mortality rate of migrants in U.S custody is at itshighest in a decade and has more than doubled since President Donald Trump returned to office.)

“As bed space has rapidly expanded, we have maintained higher a standard of care than most prisons that hold U.S. citizens — including providing access to proper medical care,” the department said in an unsigned statement. “For many illegal aliens this is the best healthcare they have received their entire lives.”

The department added that ICE agents are “trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve dangerous situations to prioritize the safety of the public and our officers. Officers are highly trained in de-escalation tactics and regularly receive ongoing use of force training.”

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the White House referred questions to DHS.

Velasco also announced that Mexico will be sending cease-and-desist letters to companies that operate ICE detention centers regarding “actions and conditions that violate human rights that led to the death of 14 Mexicanos by way of the private operators of ICE detention centers.”

“We are formally asking these companies to stop performing these actions, that they have to change these conditions that have brought Mexicans’ deaths,” Velasco said at a news conference.

Sheinbaum said the killing of Salgado Araujo “is not only sad and regrettable, but also appears to have been targeted.”

Salgado Araujo, who had lived in the United States for decades, was fatally shot by ICE agents during a targeted enforcement stop, according to DHS. His family has demanded an investigation.

DHS has said ICE agents were pursuing Salgado Araujo because he was living in the country illegally. The department said he was shot after disregarding orders and attempting to run over an agent with his vehicle.