Mexico’s top diplomat, Roberto Velasco Alvarez, announced a series of legal actions against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and private migrant detention centers in response to the deaths of migrants in custody, as well as during raids.
The announcement comes just one day after, as Breitbart Texas reported, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum threatened legal action following this week’s shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston. In that case, federal agents shot at Salgado after he allegedly used his vehicle to ram a police vehicle and then tried to run over an ICE agent during an operation to apprehend him. Sheinbaum claimed that the only thing that Salgado did wrong was not having legal status.
“The President has instructed us to take blunt actions in response to these tragedies,” Velasco said during a news conference. “The reality is that Lorenzo Salgado They took his life agents from ICE.”
Velasco revealed that under Sheinbaum’s orders, Mexico’s Foreign Relations Secretariat (SRE) would be working with Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office to file complaints against “whoever is responsible” and go through the U.S. Department of Justice and state attorney general’s offices in connection with the deaths of 17 Mexicans who have died in ICE custody or in operations during 2025 and 2026.
“We are moving beyond diplomatic matters to file complaints requesting that the cases be investigated in the penal field,” he said.
Velasco announced a second measure in which his agency would go after the private companies that run ICE detention centers in civil court.
“We are going to take civil legal actions against the companies that operate the detention centers,” he said.
The first step Mexico will take is to send out cease and desist letters to the various companies that run ICE detention centers, formally asking them to change the conditions that led to the various migrant deaths. Velasco stated what would follow if the companies ignored the letters.
Mexico’s top diplomat also revealed that they would work with various organizations in the U.S. and would seek to speak with members of the United States Congress to draw attention to the issue.
“The priority of our work is always the defense of the human rights of our fellow citizens,” Velasco said.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.