Mexico Files 20 Complaints Over 17 Deaths in ICE Custody — Most Still Unanswered
Seventeen Mexican nationals have died in ICE custody during the current administration. Mexico filed 20 formal complaints with U.S. authorities over those deaths. Four have gotten any response at all.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Roberto Velasco said Wednesday that Mexico is demanding the Justice Department investigate whether ICE agents or private contractors running detention centers are responsible. President Claudia Sheinbaum put it plainly: “There are simply too many cases.”
The most recent death was Alejandro Cabrera Clemente, 49, who died April 11 at the Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana. He’s the 47th person to die in ICE detention since this administration took office — the 15th Mexican national.
ICE said Cabrera was found unresponsive and died despite life-saving efforts. The agency claimed he had prior convictions for disorderly conduct, drug possession, and probation violation, plus an arrest for domestic violence. ABC News could not independently confirm those claims.
Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said the country will use “all available legal and diplomatic channels” to address the death. Officials called the pattern “unacceptable” and said it “reflects serious deficiencies in ICE detention centers, which are incompatible with human rights standards and the protection of life.”
At least four deaths happened inside the Adelanto detention center in California alone. The victims: Alberto Gutiérrez Reyes, Ismael Ayala Uribe, Gabriel García Avilés, and José Guadalupe Ramos Solano. Families and civil society groups allege negligence, mistreatment, and inadequate medical care.
One case shows how little accountability there’s been so far. Royer Pérez, 19, was arrested in January by Volusia County police in northern Florida on charges of identity theft and resisting arrest. He was transferred to a state detention facility, where he later died. The official account pointed to suicide. Testimony from detainees and a preliminary medical examiner’s report suggested guards killed him. Mexico has repeatedly demanded clarification. U.S. authorities have declined to open any additional investigation.
A Florida state prosecutor responded to Mexico’s complaint — by backing ICE’s account. Four other state prosecutors and several district attorneys have replied only to acknowledge receipt. The Justice Department has not opened the investigation Mexico requested.
The spike in deaths tracks with a spike in detention itself. The number of people in ICE custody recently hit 70,000 — the highest in the agency’s 23-year history. An ABC News analysis found the current death rate is 11 per 100,000 admissions, compared to 7 per 100,000 last year and 1 per 100,000 in 2022.
ICE responded to earlier reporting by saying death rates in custody are 0.009% of the detained population, that the agency has “maintained a higher standard of care than most prisons that hold U.S. citizens,” and that “for many illegal aliens this is the best healthcare they have received their entire lives.”
The Breakdown
- Mexico has filed 20 complaints with U.S. authorities over 17 Mexican nationals who died in ICE custody.
- Only four complaints have received any response — and only one (from a Florida prosecutor) was substantive, backing ICE’s account rather than opening a new investigation.
- Mexico has also filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE demanding accountability from private companies that manage detention facilities, including GEO Group, which operates Adelanto and other centers and has faced longstanding allegations of medical negligence, excessive force, overcrowding, sexual abuse, unsanitary conditions, and inadequate food.
- The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights forwarded Mexico’s concerns to the UN Human Rights Council and called on U.S. authorities to conduct prompt investigations.
- The current death rate in ICE custody is 11 per 100,000 admissions — up from 7 per 100,000 last year and 1 per 100,000 in 2022.
What This Means for You
The death rate in federal immigration detention has jumped to the highest level since the COVID-19 pandemic. A foreign government is formally demanding answers, families and civil society groups are alleging negligence and mistreatment, and a UN human rights official has called for investigation.
What to Watch
The material Mexico submitted to the UN Human Rights Council is now on record. The Justice Department has not yet opened the investigation Mexico requested.
The private companies running these facilities — GEO Group among them — have faced allegations of medical negligence, excessive force, overcrowding, sexual abuse, unsanitary conditions, and inadequate food for years. They’re still operating federal detention centers. Mexico has filed a complaint with DHS and ICE demanding accountability from those contractors.
