Mexican President Pressures U.S. on Migrant Deaths Amid Increased Tensions

In response to the rising number of Mexican migrant deaths during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has pledged to increase pressure on U.S. authorities to investigate these incidents. Sheinbaum highlighted the urgency, pointing to the 17 Mexican citizens who died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody or operations. ‘Our obligation is to always defend Mexicans who are in the United States or any part of the world,’ Sheinbaum stated last week.

The growing death toll has led Sheinbaum to instruct Mexican diplomats to file complaints with state attorneys general and district attorneys across the U.S., demanding investigations into these deaths. She emphasized this following the recent fatal incident involving ICE in Houston, where Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican construction contractor who had lived in the U.S. for 30 years, was shot.

The memorial for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo is growing at the site of his death. (Karen Warren / Associated Press)

This move marks a shift from Mexico’s traditional approach of diplomatic protests, providing legal assistance to families, and repatriating remains. Despite these efforts, there has been limited success so far. No public prosecutions have been reported in any of the 17 cases, despite appeals to the U.S. Department of Justice, eight state attorneys general, and 12 district attorney offices.

Victor Clark, a longstanding human rights advocate in Tijuana, observed that the U.S. appears indifferent. He noted that Mexico’s actions seem bureaucratic without substantial response. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick from the American Immigration Council noted that Mexico has limited standing to file U.S. court complaints, although their requests might have more impact than those of private citizens.

Reports from Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights indicate that since the start of Trump’s second term, 52 migrants, including 14 Mexicans, have died in ICE custody. Furthermore, nine additional deaths occurred during ICE operations since 2025. Demonstrations took place, such as the one on July 14 in San Francisco, protesting fatal ICE shootings in Texas and Maine.

ICE claims to investigate all custody or operational deaths thoroughly. Critics argue the Trump administration inadequately pursues investigations. Mexico’s complaints to the eight states where the deaths occurred have received minimal responses, according to Roberto Velasco, Mexico’s foreign secretary. Only four state attorney generals — from California, Texas, Florida, and Illinois — acknowledged receipt of the complaints. Florida’s attorney general’s office agreed with ICE’s assessment that Royer Pérez Jiménez’s death was likely a suicide.

Three local jurisdictions, Ventura County, Cook County, Ill., and Harris County, Texas, said they were ‘evaluating’ the complaints, although Ventura’s district attorney reported no communication from Mexico. Ventura was a focal point due to a major ICE operation at the Glass House Farms cannabis complex on July 10, 2025, which resulted in numerous arrests and the death of Mexican worker Jaime Alanis García.

Concerns also center on the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County, where four Mexicans have died. Families of detainees filed a class-action lawsuit, citing abuse like medical neglect and inadequate food. A federal judge has ordered significant improvements at the facility, although ICE and Geo Group, which operates Adelanto, deny any abuse.

In response to the fourth death of a Mexican national at Adelanto, the Mexican government has committed to exhausting all legal and diplomatic options to highlight conditions at U.S. detention centers. The case of José Guadalupe Ramos Solano, who died at Adelanto in March, has become a rallying point for his relatives seeking justice.

The San Bernardino County district attorney has received several letters concerning detainee deaths but no criminal complaints have been filed, according to spokesperson Jacquelyn Rodriguez.

The situation illustrates the complex legal and diplomatic challenges Mexico faces in seeking accountability for migrant deaths under U.S. custody.