TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Mexico will take legal action against the United States following the deaths of 17 of its citizens while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody or during immigration enforcement operations conducted by the agency.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced the move at a press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City on Thursday, July 9, according to ANTARA.
On that occasion, government officials explained that as many as 14 Mexican citizens died in ICE detention centers, while three others died in immigration enforcement operations carried out by the agency.
Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velazquez Alvarez said the government would no longer rely solely on diplomatic channels, but would initiate legal proceedings to uncover the cause of his citizen's death.
"The Foreign Affairs Ministry will request support from the Attorney General's Office to formally file criminal complaints against those responsible before state prosecutors and the U.S. Department of Justice over the deaths of Mexican nationals in ICE custody and during ICE operations," Alvarez said.
He explained that previously the Mexican government had made various diplomatic and consular efforts, including providing legal and financial assistance to the victims' families.
Regarding each of these cases, the government has sent 11 diplomatic protest notes to the U.S. government, demanding a thorough investigation into all the incidents that occurred.
"In other words, we will move beyond the diplomatic sphere and go directly before U.S. prosecutors to file criminal complaints regarding these incidents, requesting criminal investigations into what has happened and what is occurring," Alvarez said.
In addition to taking legal action against the U.S. government, Mexico will also file civil lawsuits against the private companies that run ICE detention centers.
According to Alvarez, the government will send cease-and-desist letters to the companies over alleged human rights violations and detention conditions that led to the deaths of 14 Mexican citizens while under the supervision of private contractors.
President Donald Trump's administration has made controlling migration flows in the region a top priority of both its domestic and foreign policy.
The policy is implemented through aggressive immigration enforcement operations against migrant communities in the U.S. and has drawn criticism from various international organizations and several governments for allegedly violating human rights.
In the latest case related to the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, ICE agents shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican citizen, in Houston, Texas. Lorenzo has lived in the United States for 30 years and leaves behind a wife and two children.
Read: US ICE Agent Fatally Shoots Man at Texas Traffic Stop
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