Mexico has formally requested that US state attorneys general conduct criminal investigations into the deaths of Mexican immigrants who died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody or during enforcement operations, the Mexican government announced Tuesday.
Formal Request Following Lorenzo Salgado Araujo's Death
The request follows the fatal shooting of Mexican immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an ICE agent in Houston on 9 July 2026. Since the start of Donald Trump's second term, 17 Mexican immigrants have died during immigration enforcement: 14 in ICE custody and three during agency operations.
Mexico's foreign ministry confirmed the formalization of the request, which was initially indicated earlier. A similar request will also be sent to the US Department of Justice, though the US is not legally obligated to act on these requests.
Letters to Detention Centers and Potential Lawsuits
Additionally, Mexico has begun sending letters to US detention centers where Mexican immigrants have died, demanding an immediate cessation of actions or omissions that led to these deaths, including preventing access to timely medical care and applying policies incompatible with medical and penitentiary standards. The first center to receive the letter was Adelanto in California, where four Mexican immigrants died.
According to the foreign ministry, these letters are a preliminary step toward potentially filing civil lawsuits against the companies operating these detention centers to halt human rights violations.
Background of the Incident
Last week, Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco Álvarez stated that Mexico would directly request US authorities to open criminal investigations into the deaths. Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old with no criminal record who had lived in the US for 35 years, was shot while driving his construction crew to a job site. The Department of Homeland Security, overseeing ICE, claimed Salgado Araujo rammed an ICE vehicle, prompting the agent to fire in self-defense.
His death sparked protests in Houston and demands for an independent investigation from Democrats and his family.
Escalation of Mexico's Response
Velasco Álvarez also sent a letter to Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, requesting that US authorities gather information on the deaths and analyze their compatibility with international human rights obligations. He further asked Türk to seek the opinion of the UN Human Rights Council and offer recommendations.
These actions mark an escalation in President Claudia Sheinbaum's response to Trump's immigration crackdown. Earlier this year, she ordered Mexican diplomatic missions in the US to regularly check on ICE detainees, and her government lodged a complaint with Türk.
