The government of Mexico has announced it will ask US prosecutors to open criminal investigations into the deaths of its citizens during immigration enforcement operations, signaling its strongest response yet to fatalities linked to President Donald Trump's deportation crackdown.
At her Thursday morning news conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico “cannot turn a blind eye to the Mexicans who have died”. “We made the decision — obviously, we will maintain diplomatic relations — to file a formal complaint with both state and federal prosecutors in the United States against whoever is found responsible for what we consider to be homicides or, in other cases, for human rights violations,” Sheinbaum stated.
The move comes two days after a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed 52-year-old Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during an immigration operation in Houston. According to Mexico’s government, 14 Mexican nationals have died while in ICE custody, and three others have been killed during immigration enforcement operations.
Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco explained that Mexico had issued diplomatic notes in protest of the killings, but repeated attempts to engage with US authorities had failed. “We are going to move beyond the diplomatic sphere and go directly to US prosecutors to file complaints regarding these incidents, requesting that they are investigated as criminal matters,” he told reporters. Velasco added that Mexico also plans to file civil lawsuits against the private companies that operate US immigration detention centres.
Salgado Araujo’s killing has renewed outrage over ICE tactics. On Wednesday night, hundreds marched through Houston’s Magnolia Park neighbourhood, chanting “ICE out of Houston”. His family says he lived in the US for 35 years, had no criminal record, and was driving a crew to a construction site when killed. They, along with politicians and civil rights groups, demand a full investigation and release of video footage.
The Department of Homeland Security claims Salgado Araujo ignored officers’ commands and tried to ram an agent with his vehicle, prompting the officer to open fire. The family disputes this account. Reuters reports his death brings the number of people fatally shot during US immigration enforcement operations to at least six since Trump returned to office in January 2025.
Deaths in ICE custody have also risen sharply: 32 detainees died in 2025, compared to 11 in 2024, according to the agency’s website. The US Department of Homeland Security has denied a spike, arguing that ICE detention centres maintain a “higher standard of care than most prisons that hold US citizens”.
Source: www.aljazeera.com