The government of Mexico announced on July 7, 2026, that it will formally request U.S. prosecutors to investigate the deaths of its citizens during Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. President Claudia Sheinbaum emphasized that Mexico cannot ignore the fatalities, which include what her government considers homicides and human rights violations.
Mexican Government's Response to Fatalities
During a news conference, Sheinbaum stated, “We made the decision — obviously, we will maintain diplomatic relations — to file a formal complaint with both state and federal prosecutors in the United States against whoever is found responsible for what we consider to be homicides or, in other cases, for human rights violations.” This marked a significant escalation in Mexico's response to the deaths linked to the Trump administration's immigration policies.
The announcement follows the recent shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national, by an ICE agent in Houston. According to reports, Salgado Araujo had lived in the U.S. for 35 years and was working towards obtaining legal status.
History of Concerns Over ICE Operations
Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco highlighted the ongoing diplomatic efforts, stating that multiple notes had been sent to the U.S. in protest of the killings, but engagement attempts had not yielded results. Velasco remarked, “We are going to move beyond the diplomatic sphere and go directly to U.S. prosecutors to file complaints regarding these incidents, requesting that they are investigated as criminal matters.”
