Mexico files complaints over deaths involving US immigration authorities

Mexico said it was filing legal complaints in US federal and local courts over the killing of several Mexican citizens by US immigration authorities, while saying it does not seek conflict with the United States.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government was filing the complaints after previously announcing plans to seek criminal charges over the deaths. She told a daily press conference that Mexico had to stand up for its citizens and raise its voice when there were human rights violations against Mexican nationals.

Sheinbaum said the issue was not about creating conflict. She said Mexico has relations with the United States on trade and security, but could not stay silent to avoid problems with President Donald Trump's government.

According to the source, at least 17 Mexican citizens have died while held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, or during federal raids since Trump returned to the White House last year. The Mexican government has sent letters of protest to the United States, which Sheinbaum said have not produced results.

The most recent killing cited by the source took place last Tuesday, when 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado was shot dead by an ICE agent while in his work truck in Houston. Washington has said the agent fired in self-defense.

The United States is Mexico's main trading partner. The two countries are parties to a free trade agreement, and 80 percent of Mexican exports go to the United States. The relationship is also under strain because of suspicions that FBI agents violated Mexican sovereignty by taking part in the capture of a major Mexican crime boss in 2024.