Mexico demands human rights protections for its citizens in ICE custody after multiple deaths at a California detention center.
Mexico has intensified diplomatic efforts with the United States, calling on immigration authorities and the private operator of the Adelanto detention center in California to comply with established protocols and uphold the human rights of people held in custody.
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The renewed appeal follows the U.S. government’s decision to return formal letters in which Mexico raised concerns about immigration enforcement operations and the treatment of Mexican nationals detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The dispute escalated after the death of Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo on July 7.
Mexico demands compliance with human rights standards
The Mexican Embassy in the United States reiterated its request that the private company managing the Adelanto detention center fully comply with applicable protocols and respect the rights of those under its custody.
According to the information provided, four Mexican nationals have died at the facility.
El día de hoy, el embajador Roberto Lazzeri sostuvo una reunión en el Departamento de Estado, en Washington, D.C., como parte de los acercamientos diplomáticos que el Gobierno de México ha impulsado esta semana con autoridades estadounidenses —incluidos el Departamento de…
— Embassy of Mexico in the U.S. (@EmbamexEUA) July 17, 2026
Text Reads: Today, Ambassador Roberto Lazzeri held a meeting at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., as part of the diplomatic outreach that the Government of Mexico has promoted this week with U.S. authorities—including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—regarding the deaths of Mexican nationals in immigration custody at the Adelanto detention center in California.
In the meeting, Ambassador Lazzeri specified the scope of the cease-and-desist letter issued in recent days: it is a communication addressed to the private company operating said facility, in which it is urged to adhere to applicable protocols and to fully respect the human rights of persons under its care. The letter was issued in exercise of the consular protection function recognized by the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, of which both countries are parties, and with full respect for the laws, authorities, and institutions of the United States.
Mexico takes note of the return of said communication and confirms that the concerns that motivated it have been formally raised through diplomatic channels, both in today’s meeting and in the encounters held during the week with the DHS and ICE.
Mexico will continue to provide close follow-up to each case and to work in coordination with U.S. authorities under the principles of respect for sovereignty, shared responsibility, mutual trust, and collaboration without subordination.
The embassy said Ambassador Roberto Lazzeri met with U.S. State Department officials as part of diplomatic engagements conducted this week with U.S. authorities, including ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, following the deaths of several Mexican nationals in immigration detention at the center.
During the meeting, Lazzeri explained that the cease-and-desist letter sent to the private company operating the Adelanto facility was “a communication urging it to comply with applicable protocols and fully respect the human rights of the people under its custody.”
According to the newspaper La Jornada, the Adelanto detention center is operated by GEO Group, one of the largest private immigration detention companies in the United States.
United States returns Mexico’s letters
The U.S. State Department confirmed it had returned the cease-and-desist letters Mexico had sent to the department and other privately operated immigration detention facilities working under ICE.
Michael Kozak, a senior official at the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, met with Ambassador Roberto Lazzeri in Washington and returned the letters, which the U.S. government viewed as attempts to direct the operations of government personnel within its sovereign territory.
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