Mexico Requests Criminal Charges Over 17 Citizen Deaths in ICE Custody

Mexican officials announced Thursday they will request criminal charges in the deaths of 17 Mexican citizens who died in ICE custody or during immigration enforcement operations. The request will be submitted to state prosecutors and the U.S. Department of Justice, officials said. It will be accompanied by civil lawsuits against companies that operate detention centers.

Sheinbaum said Thursday that Mexico decided to move beyond diplomatic channels after an ICE agent killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston this week. Salgado Araujo had lived in the United States for decades and was transporting workers to a construction site when he was shot.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Thursday that officers were looking for a different person when they stopped his vehicle. >"After receiving a credible tip from our law enforcement partners, our officers conducted surveillance on a target's address.

In 2025, 31 ICE detainees died, a two-decade high, according to a CBS News analysis of ICE records. Mexico had previously supported victims' families, sent diplomatic notes demanding investigations, and raised the issue with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Sheinbaum ordered consulates to check in regularly with ICE detainees and lodged a complaint with the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. " — President Claudia Sheinbaum, July 10, 2026 The announcement adds to already strained relations between the two governments over immigration enforcement and deportation policies.