Mexico will request criminal charges against those responsible for the deaths of 17 Mexican nationals who died either in ICE custody or during immigration enforcement operations, escalating a human rights dispute that's strained relations between the two countries.
Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco announced Thursday that Mexico will submit the request to state prosecutors' offices and the U.S. Department of Justice. The government isn't stopping there. It'll also file civil lawsuits against the companies operating detention centers where Mexicans have died, aiming to force systemic changes in facilities that advocates have long criticized for dangerous conditions.
A Targeted Killing Prompts Escalation
President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico decided to "move beyond diplomatic channels" after an ICE agent killed Mexican citizen Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston this week. The shooting was the breaking point. "This is not only sad and regrettable, but also appears to have been targeted," Sheinbaum said. She framed the issue in stark terms: "We are going to do everything in our power, because we cannot stand silent" in the face of deaths of Mexicans "whose only crime is working honestly in the United States."
According to Mexican government data, 14 Mexicans have died while held in ICE custody and three during ICE operations. The numbers represent families torn apart, workers who crossed borders seeking better lives, and people who died far from home while detained by a foreign government.
Diplomatic Channels Haven't Worked
Until now, Mexico's response followed traditional diplomatic protocols. The government supported victims' families, sent diplomatic notes to Washington demanding investigations, and raised concerns with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Sheinbaum earlier this year ordered consulates to regularly check in with ICE detainees. Her government also lodged a complaint with the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.
None of it stopped the deaths. That's why Mexico's shifting strategies, moving from diplomatic pressure to criminal and civil litigation that could hold individuals and corporations accountable in U.S. courts.
Balancing Rights and Relations
Mexico's latest request adds to an already strained relationship with the Trump administration. Sheinbaum has cracked down more fiercely than her predecessors on organized crime in the wake of mounting threats by Trump to take military action against cartels. She's also sought to keep an amicable relationship with her U.S. counterpart as the countries renegotiate the decades-old free trade agreement.
But she's drawn a clear line on immigration enforcement and the rights of Mexican citizens in U.S. custody. The dual approach reflects the complicated reality of governing a country whose economy depends heavily on U.S. trade while millions of its citizens work north of the border, often facing dangerous conditions and aggressive enforcement.
Why This Matters:
Seventeen deaths in custody and during enforcement operations represent a pattern that Mexico's government now considers criminal negligence or worse. By pursuing charges through U.S. legal channels rather than relying solely on diplomacy, Mexico is testing whether American institutions will hold their own immigration enforcement apparatus accountable for deaths that occurred under their watch. The civil suits against detention center operators could force transparency and safety improvements in a private prison system that's operated with minimal oversight. For the estimated 11 million Mexican immigrants in the United States, many working essential jobs in agriculture, construction, and service industries, the outcome will determine whether their host country treats their lives as valuable or disposable. The litigation also sets a precedent for how nations protect their citizens abroad when diplomatic channels fail to prevent deaths in custody.