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Mexico says it will push for criminal charges in the United States over the deaths of Mexican citizens during immigration enforcement operations under President Donald Trump’s renewed deportation campaign.
Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said at least 17 Mexican nationals have died while in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or during federal immigration raids since Trump returned to the White House last year.
The latest case involved 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent on Tuesday while sitting in his work truck in Houston, Texas.
US authorities said the agent acted in “self-defence,” alleging that Salgado attempted to avoid arrest and “weaponised his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE law enforcement officer.”
Salgado, who had lived and worked in the United States for more than three decades, is believed to be the first person killed by federal immigration agents since two Americans were shot dead during an immigration operation in Minneapolis in January.
Speaking during Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s daily press conference, Velasco said Mexico would pursue legal action beyond diplomatic channels.
“We will skip the diplomatic sphere and go directly to prosecutors in the United States,” he said.
Sheinbaum also announced plans to send a formal request to private companies operating immigration detention centres, calling on them to respect the human rights of Mexican citizens held in their facilities.
The Mexican government said it would seek support from federal prosecutors and call on United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk to strengthen protections for Mexicans in detention.
The issue has added further strain to relations between Washington and Mexico, with tensions already rising over trade discussions and reports of US intelligence activities in Mexico.
US Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia has called for an investigation into ICE’s actions, saying Salgado and his brother were not the intended targets of the operation.
Garcia said ICE informed her that agents were pursuing another person linked to an administrative warrant and that officers involved in the incident were not wearing body cameras.
