Mexico will ask U.S. prosecutors to pursue criminal investigations into the deaths of 17 Mexican citizens killed during immigration operations or while in federal custody since President Donald Trump returned to office, President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed.
The formal complaints mark Mexico's strongest response to date over fatalities linked to the administration's immigration enforcement campaign. Fourteen Mexican nationals have died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, while three others were killed during enforcement operations, according to the Mexican government.
"This is not just a matter for the Mexican government," Sheinbaum said, calling on Mexican society and political parties to support citizens living in the United States. "We must raise our voices when there are human rights violations against our fellow citizens."
#MañaneraDelPueblo | La presidenta @Claudiashein informa que hoy México presenta denuncias ante el Departamento de Justicia de Estados Unidos por el fallecimiento de 17 connacionales bajo custodia o durante operativos de migración.
— Gobierno de México (@GobiernoMX) July 13, 2026
“Tenemos la responsabilidad de demandar la… pic.twitter.com/kT57nS9WGA
Sheinbaum said Mexico did not seek a confrontation with Washington but could not remain silent to preserve bilateral relations. Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said previous diplomatic protests had produced no results, prompting Mexico to bring complaints directly to state and federal prosecutors and request criminal investigations into possible homicides and human rights violations.
Mexico also plans civil lawsuits against private companies that operate U.S. immigration detention centers.
The announcement follows the July 7 killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican construction worker shot by an ICE agent in Houston. ICE initially described the operation as targeted but later acknowledged Salgado Araujo was not the person agents were seeking.
The Department of Homeland Security said he tried to ram agents with his vehicle, prompting an officer to fire. Three men who were riding with him dispute that account, saying agents did not identify themselves and that no officer was positioned in front of the van.
Salgado Araujo's family said he had lived in the United States for 35 years, had no criminal convictions and was driving workers to a construction site. They and civil rights groups have demanded the release of video evidence. ICE said the agents involved were not wearing body cameras.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus and members of the House Homeland Security Committee are scheduled to hold a July 24 field hearing in Houston. Houston police are investigating the shooting as a homicide, though local officials and advocates said on Tuesday that federal agencies have provided limited evidence.
LULAC CEO Juan Proaño said the three passengers remain in ICE detention and had initially been pressured to sign self-deportation orders. He said they should remain in the United States because they are key witnesses to the shooting.
Speaking to Democracy Now, Proaño said ICE had been monitoring Magnolia Park, a predominantly Latino neighborhood:
"My perspective is that ICE was casing Magnolia Park, which is a 97% Hispanic community. They were hunting for Latinos. They saw a Brown man, a Latino man, driving a work truck, and they followed suit. We all know now what the deadly consequences of that are"
