The Mexican government said Wednesday that it was working with three United States counties to investigate the deaths of 17 of its citizens either in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody or during operations. Speaking alongside President Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Roberto Velasco Álvarez said that "legal and diplomatic actions" were being taken following the fatalities during President Donald Trump's second term.
He said on X that "each case has behind it a Mexican family that deserves truth and justice." As part of Mexico's efforts, Velasco Álvarez said Ventura County, California, Cook County, Illinois, and Harris County, Texas, had agreed to work on the cases relevant to their local area. Harris County recently saw Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo shot and killed by an ICE agent while he was in his work van in Houston, while Jaime Alanís García fell to his death from a greenhouse during a July 2025 ICE operation in Ventura County. Tensions have risen between the two countries over the past few months, as more reports of ICE-related deaths have surfaced, and Sheinbaum has been vocal in her disappointment at the loss of life.
However, it is rare for U.S. authorities at the state and local level to handle international diplomatic issues, which are usually left to the federal government. Newsweek reached out to Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for further comment Wednesday afternoon. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office and Harris County District Attorney's Office confirmed to Newsweek that they have spoken with Mexican authorities.
Ventura County had not responded to a request for comment before publication. The Mexican government has repeatedly cited 17 deaths involving Mexican nationals. According to Velasco Álvarez, 14 occurred while individuals were being held in immigration detention facilities or after being transferred for medical treatment, while three occurred during immigration enforcement operations.
The three cases tied to the counties highlighted by Mexico involve deaths that have already drawn significant media and political attention. In Ventura County, California, farmworker Jaime Alanís García died after suffering injuries when he fell from a greenhouse during a large-scale immigration raid at Glass House Farms in Camarillo in July 2025. His death became a flashpoint in debates over the tactics used during workplace enforcement operations.
Federal authorities have maintained he was not in ICE custody when he fell. In Cook County, Illinois, Mexican national Silverio Villegas González was fatally shot by an ICE agent during a traffic stop in suburban Franklin Park in 2025. DHS said at the time that he attempted to flee and dragged an officer with his vehicle.
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