Mexico Says It Will Seek Criminal Charges Over 17 Deaths Tied to U.S. Immigration Enforcement

On July 9, 2026, Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco announced that Mexico will request criminal charges over the deaths of 17 Mexican nationals — 14 who died in ICE custody and three during ICE enforcement operations. The requests will be submitted to U.S. state prosecutors and the Department of Justice and will be accompanied by civil lawsuits against the private companies operating detention facilities. President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico had decided to "move beyond diplomatic channels" after an ICE officer killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston on July 7, adding, "We are going to do everything in our power, because we cannot stand silent." Mexico had previously limited itself to diplomatic notes, consular visits, and complaints to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.

A foreign government formally asking U.S. prosecutors to charge U.S. officials over the treatment of its citizens is an unusual escalation, and it lands while the two countries are renegotiating their trade relationship. CBS News reporting notes 31 people died in ICE detention in 2025, a two-decade high.

The request carries no legal force in the United States. No U.S. prosecutor has said whether it will be acted on.