Mexico to take US to court over deaths of 17 Mexican nationals

The Mexican government will take legal action against the United States over the deaths of 17 Mexican citizens while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody or during anti-immigration operations carried out by the agency, President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Thursday.

During a press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexican government officials presented an overview of the deaths of Mexican nationals at the hands of US authorities, reporting that 14 deaths have so far been documented in ICE detention centers and three during enforcement operations.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Roberto Velazquez Alvarez announced that Mexico will move beyond diplomatic efforts and begin legal proceedings to clarify the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the Mexican nationals.

"The Foreign Affairs Ministry will request support from the Attorney General's Office to formally file criminal complaints against those responsible before state prosecutors and the US Department of Justice over the deaths of Mexican nationals in ICE custody and during ICE operations," Alvarez said.

Until now, the Mexican government had exhausted its diplomatic and consular efforts by providing legal and financial assistance to the victims' families, while also sending 11 formal diplomatic protest notes to the US government regarding each case, demanding that the incidents be fully investigated.

"In other words, we will move beyond the diplomatic sphere and go directly before US prosecutors to file criminal complaints regarding these incidents, requesting criminal investigations into what has happened and what is occurring," the foreign minister added.

In addition to legal action against the US government, Alvarez said Mexico will also pursue civil action against the private companies operating ICE detention centers, issuing cease-and-desist letters over alleged human rights violations and conditions that led to the deaths of 14 Mexican nationals while under the supervision of private contractors.

The administration of President Donald Trump has made curbing migration flows across the hemisphere a central pillar of its domestic and foreign policy, relying on aggressive immigration enforcement campaigns against migrant communities in the US, drawing widespread criticism from international organizations and governments over alleged human rights violations.

In the latest case involving the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, ICE agents fatally shot and killed 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, Texas. The Mexican national had lived in the United States for 30 years and is survived by his wife and two children.