Mexico City, Mexico — The Mexican government has urged the United States to hand over all information regarding the death of a Mexican immigrant who was in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), amid President Donald Trump’s rollback on anti-immigration raids.
On June 12, Mexico’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that a Mexican national had died while in ICE custody in the U.S. state of Georgia. The individual, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, was previously held at a state penitentiary in the city of Jackson before being transferred to an ICE facility, where he later died.
During her morning briefing on June 13, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the incident and vowed to protect the rights of Mexican nationals in the U.S. amid what she described as President Donald Trump’s increasingly aggressive immigration policies.
“He is a person who was registered under a different name and did not disclose his nationality. This is what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has discovered so far,” said Sheinbaum. “More information has been requested to understand the conditions surrounding his death.”
She added, “A full investigation must be carried out. We will always seek to ensure respect for the human rights of Mexicans abroad.”
According to the Foreign Ministry, over 60 Mexican immigrants have been detained in Los Angeles alone by ICE in recent weeks as part of U.S. raids targeting immigrants from across the Global South.
This marks the first reported case of a Mexican immigrant dying in ICE custody since President Trump relaunched his long-standing immigration crackdown.
The Foreign Ministry stated that Mexico’s consulate in Georgia is pursuing all available legal avenues in relation to the case and is working closely with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Since the announcement of the immigrant’s death, the Foreign Ministry has issued preventive guidance to Mexicans living in the U.S. through its consulate network through the Center for Information and Assistance for Mexicans (CIAM). These include recommendations such as “Do not resist or assault an officer” and “Do not lie or provide false documents.”
Amid the fatal outcome of Trump’s anti-immigration raids, officers have reportedly been instructed to scale back efforts to mass-detain immigrants. According to local media, the Trump administration has directed ICE to halt raids on sectors that depend heavily on immigrant labor, including farms, hotels, and restaurants.
On June 12, President Trump addressed the impact of his aggressive deportation policies on U.S. industries via his Truth Social platform, writing, “Changes are coming!”
“Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace,” he wrote.
Featured image from Mexican government webpage
