Mexico has called for criminal investigations following the deaths of its citizens in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), amid rising tensions over the treatment of immigrants. Since the return of former President Donald Trump to office, at least 14 Mexican nationals have died in ICE custody, with additional fatalities occurring during enforcement operations.

The latest incident occurred on July 7, when Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national who had lived in the United States for many years, was fatally shot by an ICE officer while driving to work in Houston, Texas. Authorities stated that Salgado Araujo had rammed a vehicle and that the shooting was in self-defense. However, Salgado Araujo had no criminal record, and ICE has not released evidence supporting its account.

In response, the Mexican government has issued cease-and-desist letters to several U.S. immigrant detention centers where Mexican nationals have died, alleging that these facilities have denied detainees timely medical care. Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s president, emphasized that the country cannot ignore the deaths of its citizens under U.S. custody. Mexico has also appealed to the United Nations human rights body, urging an international inquiry into the deaths and recommendations to prevent further incidents.

The shooting in Houston followed closely on another fatal encounter involving ICE in Biddeford, Maine. On Monday, an ICE agent shot a Colombian man during a traffic stop in the coastal town. This incident prompted ICE to briefly suspend traffic stop operations, in which agents pull over drivers suspected of being undocumented immigrants. However, the suspension was swiftly reversed by Trump’s administration.

Both the Houston and Maine shootings have triggered protests in several nearby cities. ICE officials have not provided evidence to substantiate their claims that either Salgado Araujo or the Colombian man posed a direct threat to agents during the operations. The agency described the two men as “illegal aliens” but acknowledged that neither was the primary target of the enforcement actions leading to their deaths. ICE also suggested that the Colombian individual posed a broader public safety risk, though details were not disclosed.

The incidents have intensified scrutiny of ICE’s practices and raised calls from Mexico and human rights organizations for greater accountability and oversight of immigration enforcement in the United States.