According to Reuters, the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on July 14 that Mexico has begun filing criminal proceedings against state prosecutors in various US states regarding deaths of Mexican citizens in detention centers in the United States and during US immigration enforcement operations.
The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs added in its statement that the Mexican government has issued orders to cease operations at the U.S. detention centers where Mexican citizens have died.
According to reports, since the Trump administration strengthened immigration enforcement measures, 17 Mexican citizens have died. Among them, 14 died during detention, and three were killed in operations conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
On July 7th local time, ICE officers shot and killed Mexican man Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during an operation in Houston, Texas.
ICE officers allege that Alawho ignored parking instructions and attempted to escape, driving his car to crash into an ICE vehicle, and then trying to run over an ICE officer. "This resulted in my officers using their firearms for self-defense," the police report states. However, Alawho's fellow officers have refuted this claim.
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto stated on July 13 that Araujo was 'in fact murdered', and 'this case has provoked anger among all Mexicans. We cannot continue to issue diplomatic notes; that is of no use.'
Previously, Sinbom has repeatedly called on the US to respect the human rights of Mexican citizens in the United States, and has sent several diplomatic letters to Washington complaining about immigration deaths.
