Mexico files criminal complaints in US over migrant deaths in custody
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The filings follow the deaths of at least 14 Mexican nationals in ICE custody and several others during arrest operations.
PHTO: LEXI PARRA/NYTIMES
- Mexico has filed criminal complaints with US state prosecutors over the deaths of Mexican nationals in US immigration custody and during enforcement operations.
- Mexico sent cease-and-desist letters to US detention centres where these deaths occurred and plans to escalate its response, as announced by President Claudia Sheinbaum.
- Mexico’s Foreign Minister contacted the UN Human Rights office to investigate and refer the cases to the Human Rights Council for further action.
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MEXICO CITY – Mexico has begun filing criminal complaints with state prosecutors in the United States over the deaths of its citizens in US immigration custody and during enforcement operations, the Foreign Ministry said on July 14.
Mexico’s government has also sent cease-and-desist letters to US detention centres where Mexican nationals have died, the ministry added in a statement.
The filings follow the deaths of at least 14 Mexican nationals in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and several others during arrest operations, including the recent fatal shooting of a Mexican citizen by an ICE agent in Houston.
President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Mexico’s intention to escalate its response to the deaths on July 10, as she claimed that the government “cannot turn a blind eye to the Mexicans who have died”.
In addition to the measures in the US, Mexico’s Foreign Minister also contacted the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding the deaths of Mexican nationals in ICE custody.
Mexico expects the UN office to gather information from the US authorities, analyse the events and “refer the case to the relevant special procedures of the Human Rights Council”, the statement added. REUTERS
