17 Mexicans died in ICE custody or enforcement operations since May 2025
Mexico filed 20 legal complaints across eight U.S. states over the deaths of 17 Mexican nationals in ICE custody since May 2025, including four at California's Adelanto facility, and asked the UN to investigate.
Jul 14, 2026Country of origin: Mexico

Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced it had filed 20 criminal complaints with state and county prosecutors across eight U.S. states, along with a complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice, over the deaths of 17 Mexican nationals in ICE custody or during immigration enforcement operations since May 2025. Mexican officials also sent cease-and-desist letters to detention centers, including California's Adelanto facility where four Mexican citizens died, demanding an end to practices such as delays in medical care. Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco Alvarez asked UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk to investigate whether the deaths are consistent with U.S. human rights obligations, a step announced following the fatal ICE shooting of Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston.
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Sources
- Mexico begins legal action in US over deaths of its citizens in ICE custody
- Mexico asks US state attorneys general to investigate immigrant ICE deaths
The Guardian·Jul 15, 2026
- These are the 17 Mexicans whose ICE-related deaths prompted Mexico to demand accountability
CNN·Jul 14, 2026·archived copy
- El País
- México presenta 20 denuncias en EU y acude a la ONU por 17 mexicanos muertos en redadas del ICE
La Verdad·Jul 22, 2026
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