Mexico has formally requested that U.S. state attorneys general launch criminal investigations into the deaths of Mexican migrants who died while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody or during immigration enforcement operations.
The request, announced by Mexico’s Foreign Ministry, follows the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national who was killed by an ICE agent during an enforcement operation in Houston.
According to the Mexican government, 17 Mexican migrants have died since U.S. President Donald Trump began his second term, including 14 deaths in ICE detention and three during immigration enforcement operations.
Mexico said it will also submit a similar request to the U.S. Department of Justice, although U.S. authorities are not legally required to act on the appeals.
In addition, the Foreign Ministry has begun sending formal letters to immigration detention centres where Mexican nationals have died, demanding that operators immediately address practices that may have contributed to the deaths.
The letters call for prompt access to medical care and compliance with recognised medical and detention standards. Officials said the correspondence represents the first step toward potentially filing civil lawsuits against private companies operating the detention facilities over alleged human rights violations.
The first facility to receive such a letter was the Adelanto Detention Center in California, where four Mexican migrants have died.
Last week, Mexican officials announced plans to seek criminal investigations into cases involving Mexican nationals who died in ICE custody or during enforcement actions.
The latest action follows the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old construction worker who had lived in the United States for nearly 35 years. His family said he had no criminal record and was travelling to work when he was shot during an ICE operation in Houston.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Salgado Araujo rammed an ICE vehicle and that an agent discharged a firearm in self-defence. His family has disputed that account, and the shooting has prompted protests in Houston and calls for an independent investigation from Democratic lawmakers and community organisations.
Mexico has also appealed to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, requesting that his office gather information on the deaths of Mexican migrants in ICE custody and assess whether the incidents are consistent with international human rights obligations.
The government further asked the UN Human Rights Council to review the cases and issue recommendations regarding the treatment of migrants in U.S. immigration detention.
The latest diplomatic measures mark an escalation in President Claudia Sheinbaum’s response to the United States’ intensified immigration enforcement. Earlier this year, her administration instructed Mexican consulates across the U.S. to conduct regular welfare checks on Mexican nationals held in ICE detention and previously filed a complaint with the UN over the treatment of detained migrants.