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Mexico plans to pursue criminal and civil action in the United States over the deaths of Mexican nationals in ICE custody and enforcement operations, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday.
The announcement comes after an ICE agent fatally shot 52-year-old Mexican immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during an enforcement operation in Houston's Magnolia Park neighborhood on July 7. Salgado had lived in the United States for decades and had a work permit application pending.
Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said Mexico has recorded 17 deaths of Mexican nationals linked to ICE since the start of the current U.S. immigration crackdown: 14 in detention centers and three during enforcement operations, including Salgado Araujo.
Sheinbaum said her government would no longer rely solely on diplomatic protest notes.
"We are going to do everything in our power," she said, adding that Mexico could not fail to act in response to the deaths of Mexicans during ICE enforcement operations or in detention centers run by private companies contracted by ICE. She said Mexico would continue providing consular support to families and detainees, especially Mexicans "whose only crime is working honestly in the United States."
Velasco said the Foreign Ministry will ask Mexico's Attorney General's Office to refer the cases to U.S. state prosecutors and the U.S. Department of Justice, seeking criminal investigations. He said the referrals would be filed "against whoever is responsible."
U.S. authorities said agents were carrying out an operation when Salgado Araujo tried to evade arrest and used his vehicle as a weapon, prompting an officer to fire in self-defense. But witnesses and relatives have challenged that account. El País reported that neighbors heard him cry, "¡Me están matando!" after the shooting, and his family said they first learned of his death through videos and social media, not from authorities.
Mexico's legal strategy also includes civil action against private companies that operate ICE detention centers. Velasco said Mexico will send cease-and-desist letters to the companies demanding changes to practices and detention conditions that Mexico says have violated human rights and contributed to the deaths of Mexican detainees.
"Formally, we are asking these companies to stop carrying out these actions," Velasco said, explaining that the letters will also demand changes to the conditions that have led to Mexican deaths.
Mexico is also seeking international pressure. Velasco said the government has asked the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, together with civil society groups, to seek protections for Mexicans in U.S. detention. Mexico has also asked Volker Türk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, to advocate for protections for Mexican nationals in ICE custody. In parallel, Mexican officials in Washington have been instructed to seek urgent meetings with U.S. authorities, including members of Congress.
Mexico has already sent 11 formal diplomatic notes to Washington seeking clarification about the deaths, but officials said the responses have not produced satisfactory accountability. Officials said that while Mexico remains committed to cooperating with the United States, pursuing accountability for the deaths has become a top priority.
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