Mexico says it will formally request prosecutors to bring criminal charges over the deaths of 17 Mexican nationals who died in ICE custody or during immigration enforcement operations under the Trump administration.
Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said Mexico’s government has documented 14 deaths in ICE custody and three more during arrest operations, and will submit complaints to state prosecutors and the US Department of Justice, alongside civil lawsuits against companies that run US detention facilities.
The request carries no binding legal weight, but marks Mexico’s most forceful response yet, following unsuccessful diplomatic notes and a complaint to the UN Human Rights Commissioner.
President Claudia Sheinbaum called some deaths “homicides” or human rights violations, saying Mexico “cannot turn a blind eye.”
The statement follows this week’s fatal shooting of Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an ICE agent in Houston, which sparked protests and calls from four US lawmakers for an independent probe.
The Department of Homeland Security has disputed claims of rising ICE custody deaths, saying its facilities meet higher care standards than most US prisons.
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