The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) announced on July 10, 2026, that it will file criminal charges in the United States over the deaths of 17 Mexican nationals linked to custody or operations conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco stated that the Ministry instructed the Attorney General's Office (Fiscalía General de la República) to formally file charges of homicide and human rights violations with state prosecutors and the U.S. Department of Justice.
According to Milenio, of the 17 deaths documented by the SRE, 14 occurred while in ICE custody and 3 during operations on U.S. territory. The most recent case is that of Lorenzo Salgado, a Mexican migrant who died on July 7 during an operation in Magnolia Park, Houston. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that Salgado disregarded agents' instructions and that the shooting was in self-defense, a version currently under internal investigation. The decision marks a shift in consular protection policy: for the first time, the SRE is escalating from diplomatic notes to direct judicial action before U.S. courts.
Beyond the criminal charges, the SRE announced it will pursue civil actions against the private companies that operate immigration detention centers, through cease-and-desist letters. It will also request precautionary measures from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to protect Mexican nationals detained in ICE facilities, and will seek the intervention of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Mexico's Ambassador to Washington, Roberto Lazzeri, will pursue immediate meetings with U.S. authorities and members of Congress, while the Ministry maintains communication with the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security. According to La Jornada, the Ministry had filed eleven diplomatic notes demanding clarification of the facts before opting for this course of action.
The SRE has designated this front as the Ministry's immediate priority and will monitor the legal proceedings, providing financial support, legal representation, and assistance with the repatriation of remains to victims' families. The DHS continues an open investigation into the Salgado case, while Democratic members of Congress demanded on July 9 the release of body camera footage from the agents who participated in the operation.
This article was drafted with artificial intelligence assistance based on verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.