Mexico is escalating its response to the deaths of its citizens in U.S. immigration detention, with President Claudia Sheinbaum announcing plans to pursue criminal complaints and civil lawsuits in the United States after a series of fatalities involving Mexican nationals held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The move marks a significant shift from previous diplomatic protests, adding legal pressure to an increasingly contentious issue between Mexico and the Trump administration.
According to Axios, Mexico had previously relied on diplomatic channels to raise concerns over deaths involving its citizens while in ICE custody. Sheinbaum said her government has now decided to pursue additional legal avenues following what officials describe as an unacceptable pattern of fatalities.
"We're going to do everything we can in our power," Sheinbaum said at a press conference, according to Axios. "What we can't do is neglect the Mexicans who have died in ICE operations or who were detained in detention centers...that's why we're pressing for more action."
The Associated Press reported that Mexico intends to seek criminal investigations involving the deaths of 17 Mexican nationals who died while in ICE custody. The complaints themselves do not carry independent legal authority but will be submitted to U.S. prosecutors' offices and the Department of Justice, which would determine whether any criminal investigation or charges are warranted. Mexican officials also plan to pursue civil litigation connected to the deaths.
The latest escalation follows the death of Mexican citizen Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston. According to the Associated Press, Sheinbaum described the incident as the turning point that prompted her government to move beyond diplomatic protests. She said the killing "is not only sad and regrettable, but also appears to have been targeted."
The legal initiative comes amid broader scrutiny of detention conditions under President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement policies. Reuters previously reported that the rate of detainee deaths has increased since Trump returned to office. According to Reuters' analysis, annual deaths between 2009 and 2024 averaged one death for every 3,848 detainees. Since Trump took office, Reuters reported that the rate has increased to one death for every 1,630 detainees.
Overall detention figures have also drawn attention. According to the figures cited in the report, 19 detainees have died in ICE custody so far this year, compared with 31 during the previous year. Those totals exceed the 26 detainee deaths recorded during President Joe Biden's entire four-year term, according to the reporting.
The Department of Homeland Security has strongly disputed suggestions that detention conditions have deteriorated. In a statement provided to Axios, the agency argued that the higher number of detainees, rather than declining standards of care, explains the increase in fatalities.
"There has been NO spike in deaths," a Homeland Security official told Axios in an emailed statement. "Consistent with data over the last decade, as of May 29, death rates in custody under the Trump administration are 0.008% of the detained population."
The department also defended medical care provided inside detention facilities. "As bed space has rapidly expanded, we have maintained a higher standard of care than most prisons that hold U.S. citizens-including providing access to proper medical care," the government said in the statement to Axios.
