MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has vowed to ramp up pressure on U.S. authorities to investigate the deaths of Mexican citizens in ICE custody or operations. "There are too many cases," Sheinbaum told reporters last week, referring to 17 Mexican citizens who have died while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody or during ICE operations.

Mexican diplomats filed complaints with the U.S. Justice Department, eight state attorneys general, and 12 district attorneys demanding investigations into the deaths of Mexican citizens. U.S. prosecutors have announced no criminal cases regarding the 17 deaths of Mexican citizens in ICE custody or operations. The United States is not legally obliged to act on the requests made by the Mexican government.

"Our obligation is to always defend Mexicans who are in the United States or whatever part of the world," Sheinbaum said. Her administration has emphasized that it cannot ignore the fatalities occurring within the United States border enforcement system.

The diplomatic push follows specific incidents that have drawn attention from Mexican officials. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, a construction contractor from Mexico who had lived in the United States for three decades, was fatally shot by ICE agents in Houston. "We cannot turn a blind eye to the Mexicans who have died," Sheinbaum said following the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by ICE agents in Houston.

Another high-profile case involved Jaime Alanis García, 56, originally from Mexico’s Michoacán state. He was fatally injured when he fell 30 feet from a greenhouse roof during the ICE raid at Glass House Farms. On July 10, 2025, ICE agents conducted a sweep at the Glass House Farms cannabis complex in Camarillo, resulting in hundreds of arrests.

Deaths have also occurred at detention facilities. José Guadalupe Ramos Solano, 52, was found unconscious and unresponsive on March 25 at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, according to an ICE statement. Ramos Solano had lived for 28 years in the United States and worked at an industrial laundromat, said his widow, Antonia Tovar. At least four Mexican citizens have died at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County, which is operated by the Geo Group.

In March, after the fourth death of a Mexican national at Adelanto, the Mexican government vowed to exhaust every legal and diplomatic avenue to bring attention to conditions at U.S. detention centers. The Adelanto ICE detention facilities, owned and operated by the GEO Group, can accommodate up to 1,940 immigrant detainees with an average stay of 30 days. Representatives of detainees at Adelanto filed a civil class-action lawsuit alleging widespread abuse, including systemic medical neglect, inadequate food and water, and mold contamination.

In July, a federal judge ordered ICE to institute changes at the Adelanto center, mandating improvements in the provision of water, food, sanitation, and medical care. Both ICE and Geo Group have denied any abuse at the Adelanto facility. ICE states it thoroughly investigates all deaths of individuals in its custody or during agency actions.

Mexico has received partial or no responses to complaints sent to the eight states where the 17 deaths of Mexican citizens occurred, according to Mexican Foreign Secretary Roberto Velasco. Attorneys general in California, Texas, Florida, and Illinois acknowledged receipt of Mexico’s demands, according to Roberto Velasco. Ventura County, Cook County, Ill. And Harris County, Texas, stated they were evaluating Mexico’s complaints, according to Roberto Velasco.

Florida’s attorney general’s office concurred with ICE’s findings that the death of Royer Pérez Jiménez, 19, at the Glades County Detention Center was a "presumed suicide." Mexico cannot directly file complaints in U.S. courts regarding these deaths, and U.S. prosecutors have no mandate to respond to Mexican inquiries.

The Department of Homeland Security defended its practices in a statement. "All detainees are provided with proper meals, water, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers," the Department of Homeland Security stated. The agency added that "For many illegal aliens this is the best healthcare they have received their entire lives," according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security.

At least 52 migrants, including 14 Mexican citizens, have died while in ICE custody since the beginning of the second Trump administration, according to a June report from Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights.

Why It Matters

The demand for investigations shows a diplomatic friction point where Mexican officials seek accountability for citizens dying under U.S. jurisdiction. With U.S. prosecutors announcing no criminal cases and stating they have no mandate to respond to Mexican inquiries, the path for legal recourse remains limited. The Mexican government's vow to exhaust every legal and diplomatic avenue signals a sustained effort to challenge these outcomes despite the lack of legal obligation for the U.S. to act.

The cases span different types of encounters, from detention center deaths to fatalities during operational raids. The involvement of multiple state attorneys general and district attorneys reflects an attempt to leverage local jurisdictions where federal options have stalled. The response from agencies like the Department of Homeland Security, which asserts that detainees receive proper care, stands in contrast to the allegations of neglect and the civil lawsuits filed by detainee representatives.

What's New

Additional reporting provides context on the economic and legal landscape surrounding these events. Remittances to Mexico in April totaled $4.76 billion, a 12.1% year-over-year decline from April 2024, marking the steepest drop in more than decade.

Claudia Sheinbaum is president of Mexico since 2024.