Mexico has begun filing criminal complaints and civil lawsuits with state prosecutors in the United States over the deaths of its citizens. These legal actions target deaths that occurred in U.S. immigration custody and during enforcement operations, specifically involving 17 Mexican citizens who were in ICE custody.
President Claudia Sheinbaum announced the initiative on Monday, stating that Mexicans are outraged over the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by agents in Houston last week. Sheinbaum characterized the event as a practical murder and defended her government’s push to get U.S. prosecutors to investigate the mounting death toll of Mexican nationals detained by immigration agents.
In addition to seeking cases in U.S. courts, Mexico has sent cease-and-desist letters to U.S. detention centers where Mexican nationals have died. President Sheinbaum shrugged off the possibility that her advocacy regarding these deaths might anger Donald Trump.