Mexico to lodge criminal complaints in US over deaths of Mexican migrants

Mexico’s president announced on Monday that the government will submit criminal complaints in U.S. federal and local courts over the deaths of more than a dozen Mexican nationals in immigration detention and during anti-migrant operations. The move follows the July 7 killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, which Sheinbaum described as “practically murdered.”

“It’s a case that sparks outrage among all Mexicans. We cannot simply continue with diplomatic letters that have yielded no results,” she said at a morning news conference.

According to Mexican officials, 17 citizens have died since the start of former President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown: 14 in detention facilities and three, including Salgado Araujo, during enforcement actions. Salgado Araujo, a long-time U.S. resident with no criminal record, was shot while traveling to work with his brother and two other men. U.S. Homeland Security officials claim he attempted to use his vehicle as a weapon against an ICE officer, a claim the other occupants dispute. Houston authorities have opened a separate investigation.

Sheinbaum, who has repeatedly urged respect for the human rights of Mexican migrants in the United States, said the complaints are not intended to create conflict but to seek accountability. Relations between the two countries have been tense, with recent disputes over alleged CIA activity in Mexico and U.S. charges against Mexican officials linked to drug trafficking. Sheinbaum has so far declined to extradite Sinaloa governor Rubén Rocha Moya, citing insufficient evidence.