MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s government announced Thursday that it plans to pursue criminal charges connected to the deaths of 17 Mexican citizens who died either while detained by U.S. immigration authorities or during enforcement operations carried out under the Trump administration.
Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco made the announcement Thursday morning, further straining an already tense relationship between the two countries. Mexico has been increasingly vocal in its criticism of how its citizens are being treated as the U.S. government ramps up deportation efforts.
The formal request, which does not carry legal authority on its own, will be sent to state prosecutors’ offices and the U.S. Department of Justice. It asks those agencies to consider bringing criminal charges against individuals responsible for the deaths.
Foreign Minister Velasco added that the request will be paired with civil lawsuits targeting the private companies that run immigration detention facilities, with the goal of stopping what Mexico describes as ongoing human rights violations inside those centers.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday that her country chose to “move beyond diplomatic channels” following the shooting death of Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston earlier this week by an ICE agent. Sheinbaum described the killing as something that “is not only sad and regrettable, but also appears to have been targeted.”
“We are going to do everything in our power, because we cannot stand silent” in the face of the deaths of Mexicans “whose only crime is working honestly in the United States,” Sheinbaum said.
Salgado Araujo had lived in the United States for decades. At the time of the shooting, he was driving a work crew to a residential construction site. His family has called for a full investigation into the circumstances of his death.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said agents were pursuing Salgado Araujo because he was in the country without legal immigration status. The department stated he was shot after ignoring commands and attempting to strike an agent with his vehicle, and that the agent fired in self-defense.
According to Mexican officials, 14 of the 17 deaths occurred while individuals were in ICE detention, while the remaining 3 happened during active ICE operations.
Prior to this latest escalation, Mexico had been supporting victims’ families, sending formal diplomatic messages to Washington calling for investigations, and raising concerns with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. President Sheinbaum had also directed Mexican consulates to routinely check on ICE detainees and filed a complaint with the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The latest move adds more friction to a relationship already under significant pressure. Sheinbaum has taken a harder line against organized crime than her predecessors amid repeated threats from the Trump administration about possible military action against drug cartels. She has also worked to maintain a working relationship with U.S. leadership as both countries renegotiate a longstanding free trade agreement, while simultaneously taking a firm position on immigration enforcement and the rights of Mexican citizens held in U.S. custody.
