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President Sheinbaum has announced a tougher response to Mexico’s death in ICE detention and during US immigration enforcement.
The Mexican government has said it will ask US prosecutors to open an investigation into the deaths of its citizens during immigration enforcement.
In her press conference on Thursday morning, President Claudia Sheinbaum said that Mexico “cannot ignore the Mexican people who died”.
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“We made a decision — obviously, we’re going to maintain diplomatic relations — to file a complaint with federal prosecutors and the United States government against anyone found guilty of what we believe to be murder or, in some cases, human rights violations,” Sheinbaum said.
His comments showed that Mexico is ready to give a very strong response to the increase in the number of deaths caused by the deportation of US President Donald Trump.
The move comes two days after a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed a 52-year-old Mexican national. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo on the move to Houston.
According to the Mexican government, 14 Mexican citizens died in ICE custodyand three others were killed during immigration enforcement.
Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco explained that Mexico had submitted diplomatic notes protesting the killing, but repeated attempts by US officials had failed.
“We will go through the diplomatic process and go to the US attorneys general to file a complaint about the incident, and ask for it to be investigated as criminal,” he told reporters.
Velasco added that Mexico is also planning to prosecute private companies that operate US immigration detention facilities.
The killing of Salgado Araujo this week has also fueled outrage over ICE’s crackdown on both sides of the US-Mexico border.
On Wednesday night, hundreds of people marched through Houston’s iconic Magnolia Park, chanting “ICE out of Houston”.
Salgado Araujo’s family said he had lived in the US for 35 years, had no criminal record and was driving workers to the construction site where he was killed. They explained that he has been trying to get a legal position.
The family, as well as politicians such as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and members of the US Congress such as Representative Sylvia Garcia, have called for an investigation into his murder.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Salgado Araujo ignored the officers’ orders during the immigration stop and attempted to hijack the agent with his car, which led to the officer being shot.
His family disputes the story and, along with human rights groups, want the authorities to release a video of his ordeal.
Reuters reports that Salgado Araujo’s death brings the number of people who have been fatally shot during immigration enforcement in the US to nearly six since Trump’s second term as US president in January 2025.
Mexico has repeatedly complained about the conditions of its citizens in ICE detention. After a Mexican citizen died in prison in April, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs he ordered Embassy officials to increase their visits to ICE detention facilities from weekly to daily.
The ministry also said it would follow “all legal and diplomatic measures” to find answers.
“The repeated occurrence of deaths in custody is unacceptable and demonstrates serious weaknesses in ICE detention facilities, which are inconsistent with the principles of human rights and the protection of human life,” it wrote.
The number of people who have died in ICE custody has also skyrocketed. Thirty-two inmates died in 2025, compared to 11 in 2024, according to the organization’s website.
At least 19 people died in prison between January and early June this year.
The US Department of Homeland Security has rejected the idea that the numbers represent an increase, telling Al Jazeera in June that “There is NO death rate“. He said that ICE detention centers have “higher standards of care than most prisons for US citizens”.
