Mexico Seeks US Investigation into Immigrant Deaths

Mexico has formally requested that US state attorneys general launch a criminal investigation into the deaths of immigrants who have died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody or during raids. The request, made by the Mexican government, follows the death of Mexican immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Houston. According to the Mexican government, 17 Mexican immigrants have died during immigration enforcement since the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term, with 14 deaths occurring in ICE custody and three during agency operations.

Mexico’s foreign ministry had previously announced its intention to make the request, which was formalized on Tuesday, and a similar request will also be sent to the US Department of Justice. The Mexican government has also started sending letters to US detention centers where Mexican immigrants have died, demanding that they immediately cease actions that may have contributed to the deaths. The letters, which are a first step toward filing civil lawsuits against the companies operating the detention centers, call for an end to practices such as preventing access to prompt medical care and the application of policies incompatible with medical and penitentiary standards.

The first center to receive the letter was Adelanto in California, where four Mexican immigrants have died. The Mexican government’s actions mark an escalation in its response to Trump’s immigration crackdown. The death of Salgado Araujo, who had no criminal record and had lived in the US for 35 years, sparked protests in Houston and demands for an independent investigation from Democrats and his family.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, claimed that Salgado Araujo had rammed an ICE vehicle and that a federal agent fired in self-defense. Mexico’s foreign minister, Roberto Velasco, has also sent a letter to the UN high commissioner for human rights, requesting that US authorities gather information on the deaths of Mexican immigrants in ICE custody and analyze their compatibility with international human rights obligations. The Mexican government, under the leadership of its current administration, had earlier ordered Mexico’s diplomatic missions across the US to regularly check in with ICE detainees.