Mexico’s foreign ministry said on Thursday 12 November 2026 that US prosecutors have answered 11 of its 22 letters about deaths and injuries of Mexicans in immigration custody or enforcement operations. The ministry counts 18 such deaths, and it says dialogue with the other prosecutors continues.
The statement matters to US readers because a foreign government is writing directly to state and county prosecutors about deaths linked to ICE, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency that detains migrants awaiting removal. The ministry also says the Harris County prosecutor in Texas has announced an indictment of an ICE agent in one case, which involves an injured person, not a death.
- Who: Mexico’s foreign ministry has sent 22 letters to US prosecutors and received 11 replies.
- What: It counts 18 Mexicans dead in migration custody or during US enforcement operations.
- Houston: The ministry says Harris County prosecutors announced an indictment of an ICE agent in one case.
- Courts: Civil lawsuits have been filed in 3 of the 18 cases.
- As of 12 November 2026, 15:30 GMT
In plain English: ICE is the US federal agency that arrests and holds people for immigration violations. The foreign ministry, known in Mexico as the Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE), runs the country’s diplomacy and its consulates.
A state attorney general is a state’s chief law officer, while a county prosecutor brings criminal cases within one county. A grand jury is a panel of citizens that decides whether there is enough evidence for a formal charge, called an indictment.
Mexico’s consular network is its embassy in Washington plus its consulates in US cities, which help Mexicans in trouble. Harris County is the Houston area of Texas, and Webb County includes Laredo.
What the Ministry Says Came Back
The ministry says it has sent 22 letters, 8 to state attorneys general offices and 14 to county prosecutors. They ask for the status of investigations into deaths of Mexicans in ICE custody or during ICE operations.
So far 11 replies have arrived, and in the ministry’s words “the dialogue continues with the others”. Several prosecutors have shown willingness to hold more meetings with Mexico’s consular network and embassy to follow up.
The embassy is also in contact with prosecutors in Harris County and Webb County in Texas, and Ventura County in California, to monitor investigations. The statement does not say which of the 22 prosecutors have replied.
Where the Cases Stand
The ministry says 4 of the 18 cases are represented through its legal assistance programme for Mexicans, known as PALE (Programa de Asistencia Jurídica a Personas Mexicanas), which uses outside legal advisers. Another 7 have private lawyers.
In 2 cases the families are still looking for a lawyer, and consular staff are accompanying them. In 5 cases the families chose not to take legal action.
Civil suits have been filed in 3 cases, 2 with PALE lawyers and 1 with private counsel. In Harris County, the ministry says, the prosecutor announced a formal indictment, issued by a grand jury, against an ICE agent involved in the case of a Mexican person injured in the Houston area.
The statement gives no date, agent name or charge, but local US reports date the indictment to 30 October and say the agent surrendered on Monday 2 November. The ministry did not say whether this case is counted among the 18.
How We Got to 18
The count stood at 17 in July and is 18 now. The steps below come from the ministry’s own documents.
- Thursday 9 July 2026: the ministry announced legal action, counting 17 dead, 14 in detention centres and 3 in operations.
- Monday 13 July: Roberto Lazzeri, Mexico’s ambassador to the United States, filed 20 complaints, 8 with state prosecutors and 12 with county prosecutors, in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas.
- Tuesday 14 July: the embassy passed the complaint of Mexico’s federal prosecutor’s office (the Attorney General’s office) on all 17 cases to the US Department of Justice through the State Department.
- Saturday 17 October: a 56-year-old man died at the Rio Grande Processing Center in Laredo, Texas.
- Monday 19 October: after the Laredo death, the ministry announced that it would file a complaint with the Webb County prosecutor over the Laredo death.
The official cause of death had not been published when we reported the case in our earlier article on the complaint. The man died at the Rio Grande Processing Center, a detention centre in Laredo.
What It Means for You
Families of Mexicans held by ICE can read the statement as a sign that consulates now press local prosecutors, not only federal agencies. Those who have lost a relative can ask the nearest Mexican consulate about legal help, which the ministry says it offers through PALE.
Other Latin American governments track their people inside the system too. Costa Rica’s count is in our story on its citizens in ICE detention.
US readers who follow ICE oversight can watch whether more prosecutors report progress on their investigations. Our report on ICE’s own death reviews looks at how medical care in custody is judged.
What Is Not Known
The statement gives no content for the 11 replies, and it does not say which prosecutors answered or who the 11 others are. It also gives no dates for the letters.
The date of the Houston indictment, the agent’s name and the charge were not given, and we do not know how the 18 deaths split between detention and operations. We could not open the ministry’s own web page for the 12 November statement, so its figures come from the statement’s text as carried by two Mexican newspapers that agree.
More: Mexico news in English, every day from The Rio Times. Our Mexico coverage includes politics, markets and migration.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Mexico’s foreign ministry announce on 12 November 2026?
It said it has sent 22 letters to US prosecutors and received 11 replies. It counts 18 Mexicans dead in migration custody or during US enforcement operations.
Who did Mexico write to?
It wrote to 8 state attorneys general offices and 14 county prosecutors. It asked about the status of investigations into deaths of Mexicans in ICE custody or during ICE operations.
Has anyone been charged?
A grand jury in Harris County, Texas, issued a formal indictment against an ICE agent in a case of a Mexican person injured in the Houston area. The ministry gave no date, name or charge.
Are the families getting legal help?
Of the 18 families, 4 are represented through the ministry’s legal assistance programme and 7 have private lawyers. Two are still looking for a lawyer, and 5 chose not to take legal action.
Sources: Mexican foreign ministry communiqué, 9 July 2026; Mexican foreign ministry information note, 22 July 2026; Mexican foreign ministry statement of 12 November 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error