Mexico Sues U.S. over Deaths of 17 Citizens in ICE Custody

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum with US President Donald Trump and Canadian PM Mark Carney/DOK PHOTO via Wikimedia Commons

Mexico City - The Mexican government will take legal action against the United States (US) following the death of 17 of its citizens while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or in the immigration enforcement operations carried out by the agency.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced the move at a press conference at the National Palace, Mexico City, Thursday (9/7) local time.

Government officials explained that as many as 14 Mexicans died in ICE detention centers, while three others died in immigration enforcement operations carried out by the agency.

Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velazquez Alvarez said the government would no longer rely solely on diplomatic channels, but would initiate legal proceedings to uncover the cause of the death of its citizen.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will ask for the support of the Attorney General's Office to formally file criminal charges against those responsible to the state prosecutor and the United States Department of Justice for the death of Mexican citizens in ICE custody or in ICE operations," said Alvarez.

He explained that previously the Mexican government had deployed various diplomatic and consular efforts, including providing legal and financial assistance to the victims' families.

The government has also sent 11 diplomatic protest notes to the US government regarding each case, as well as demanding a thorough investigation into all incidents that have occurred.

"In other words, we will go beyond the diplomatic realm and directly file criminal charges with prosecutors in the United States regarding these incidents, as well as request a criminal investigation into what has and is happening," said Alvarez.

In addition to taking legal action against the US government, Mexico will also file a civil lawsuit against private companies that manage ICE detention centers.

According to Alvarez, the government will send a letter of termination of the violation to the companies for alleged human rights violations and detention conditions that led to 14 Mexicans dying while under the supervision of private contractors.

The Donald Trump administration made controlling the flow of migration in the region one of the main priorities of its domestic and foreign policies.

The policy is carried out through aggressive immigration enforcement operations against migrant communities in the US and has drawn criticism from various international organizations as well as a number of governments for allegedly violating human rights.

In the latest case related to the Trump administration's immigration enforcement policies, ICE agents shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national, in Houston, Texas.

Lorenzo has been living in the United States for 30 years and left behind a wife and two children.