Mexico Asks U.s. State Attorneys General To Investigate Migrant Deaths In Ice Custody

MEXICO CITY — Mexico formally requested that U.S. authorities attorneys wide criminally analyse cases of migrants who person died successful Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody aliases during raids, nan Mexican authorities said Tuesday.

The petition follows nan decease of Mexican migrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was changeable and killed by an ICE supplier successful Houston. Since nan opening of President Trump’s 2nd term, 17 Mexican migrants person died during migration enforcement — 14 successful ICE custody and 3 successful agency operations.

Mexico’s Foreign Ministry had antecedently said it would make nan request, which was formalized Tuesday, according to nan ministry. It said a akin petition will beryllium besides sent to nan U.S. Department of Justice.

The United States is not legally obliged to enactment connected nan requests.

Also, nan Mexican authorities said it has started sending letters to U.S. detention centers wherever Mexican migrants person died, demanding they “immediately cease nan actions aliases omissions that resulted successful these deaths, specified arsenic preventing entree to punctual and expedited aesculapian care, arsenic good arsenic nan exertion of policies incompatible pinch aesculapian and penitentiary standards.”

The first halfway to person nan missive was Adelanto, successful California, wherever 4 Mexican migrants person died.

The letters are a first measurement toward “the eventual filing of civilian lawsuits” against nan companies that run nan detention centers to extremity quality authorities violations, according to nan ministry.

Last week, Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco Álvarez said his state would spell straight to U.S. authorities to petition criminal investigations successful cases of Mexicans killed successful ICE custody aliases enforcement operations.

Salgado Araujo, who had nary criminal grounds and had lived successful nan U.S. for 35 years, was changeable past Tuesday while driving his building unit to a occupation tract successful Houston. His decease sparked protests successful Houston and demands for an independent investigation from Democrats and Salgado Araujo’s family.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said 52-year-old Salgado Araujo had rammed an ICE vehicle, and that a national supplier fired a limb successful self-defense.

Velasco besides sent a missive to Volker Türk, nan U.N. precocious commissioner for quality rights, requesting that U.S. authorities stitchery accusation connected nan deaths of nan Mexican migrants successful ICE custody and analyse nan “compatibility of these events pinch world quality authorities obligations.”

The overseas curate besides asked Türk to activity nan sentiment of nan Human Rights Council, a U.N. intergovernmental assemblage that promotes quality authorities worldwide, connected nan cases and connection recommendations.

The developments people an escalation successful Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum’s consequence to Trump’s migration crackdown. Sheinbaum earlier this twelvemonth ordered Mexico’s negotiated missions crossed nan U.S. to regularly cheque successful pinch ICE detainees, and her authorities moreover lodged a title pinch Türk.

Sánchez writes for nan Associated Press.