These are the 17 Mexicans whose ICE-related deaths prompted Mexico to demand accountability
By Rocío Muñoz-Ledo, Uriel Blanco, CNN
(CNN) — Some had spent decades in the United States working, building their lives, starting families and forming communities. Others are known only by their names, ages, arrests and the place where they died.
The stories and backgrounds of these 17 Mexican immigrants are different. But they all had a common outcome: they died in the mass immigration crackdown launched during US President Donald Trump’s second term in office, according to the Mexican government.
Their deaths have escalated tensions between Mexico and the US. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has condemned their deaths, saying the entire country shared the pain of their families.
On Monday, Mexico began filing complaints to US state and federal prosecutors to request criminal investigations, and sent cease-and-desist letters to private companies that manage US detention centers where Mexican immigrants have died.
Fourteen of the men died in the custody of immigration enforcement – either in detention centers or in medical facilities where they had been sent to – according to Mexican and US authorities. The other three died during immigration enforcement operations.
The most recent case is that of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old construction worker who was fatally shot by an ICE officer during an operation in Houston last week.
In an email sent to CNN, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) denied that there has been an increase in deaths in its facilities or operations and assured that detained individuals “receive full due process and are provided with proper meals, water, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers.” It also denied that its officials committed abuses.
Here’s what we know about those 17 Mexicans, whose cases led Mexico’s government to toughen its response.
1. Abelardo Avellaneda Delgado
Abelardo Avellaneda Delgado, 68, died on May 5, 2025, while being transferred from the Lowndes County jail to the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia.
ICE reported that the preliminary cause was a medical complication. The agency stated that he had lived for decades in the US as an undocumented immigrant and had been detained multiple times since 1979. In 1990, a judge ordered his deportation, but he later re-entered the country. The agency claims he was charged with “crimes ranging from possession of marijuana to simple assault—family violence—and cruelty to children.”
2. Jesús Molina Veya
Jesús Molina Veya, 45, died on June 7, 2025, at the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia.
ICE reported that he was found unconscious in his cell with a ligature around his neck and was later taken to a hospital, where he died.
According to ICE, he had entered the United States as an undocumented immigrant on several occasions and was deported four times. The agency states that he was charged with “crimes including simple assault, child abuse, and unlawful restraint,” for which he served a sentence of 827 days in jail.
3. Lorenzo Antonio Batrez Vargas
Lorenzo Antonio Batrez Vargas, 32, died on August 31, 2025, while in immigration custody.
ICE reported that he suffered from diabetes, contracted Covid-19 during his detention, and presented respiratory problems before being found unresponsive. Resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful.
He entered the US as an undocumented immigrant on an unknown date. Between 2018 and 2025, he was detained several times for drug use and possession and driving under the influence (DUI); he was sentenced to 10 days of confinement in 2024 for DUI.
4. Óscar Rascón Duarte
Óscar Rascón Duarte, 58, died on September 8, 2025, at Banner Desert Medical Center in Arizona. According to ICE, he suffered from advanced-stage Alzheimer’s, right kidney cancer, and hepatitis C.
He entered the United States in 1976 as an undocumented immigrant and was deported in 2004, but re-entered the country the same day he was removed to Mexico, according to ICE. Between 1984 and 2000, he was accused of “crimes including burglary, theft, and drug possession,” while in 2005 he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for attempted sexual contact with a minor and child abuse, a sentence he completed in January 2025, when immigration proceedings against him resumed, the agency states.
5. Ismael Ayala Uribe
Ismael Ayala Uribe, 39, died on September 22, 2025, in a California hospital after suffering cardiac arrest.
According to ICE, the Mexican national, who “was hypertensive and presented abnormal tachycardia,” was referred on September 21 at noon to Victor Valley Global Medical Center for an abscess on his buttock and was scheduled for surgery. However, a little over 12 hours later, ICE said hospital staff found the Mexican “unconscious and took measures to save his life.” Ayala Uribe was declared dead in the early hours of September 22 after suffering cardiac arrest.
His case drew attention because he had been a beneficiary of the DACA program, the flagship program of former US President Barack Obama’s administration that protected thousands of young immigrants who arrived in or remained in the US illegally before turning 16 from deportation. However, Ayala Uribe lost that protection years later. His family questioned the circumstances of his death and the medical care he received.
6. Miguel Ángel García Hernández
Miguel Ángel García Hernández, 31, died on September 30, 2025, from injuries sustained during a shooting at a Dallas immigration facility. His wife’s lawyers said he shielded another detainee with his body during the shooting.
He was detained on August 8, 2025, and charged with DUI, evading arrest with a vehicle, and fleeing from police, according to ICE. The shooting occurred on September 24, the same day ICE took him into custody, the agency notes.
7. Leo Cruz Silva
Leo Cruz Silva, 34, died on October 4, 2025, in the Ste. Genevieve County jail in Missouri, where he was found with a sheet tied around his neck.
Authorities reported that emergency maneuvers failed to save his life. ICE classified the case as a suicide.
He entered the US without documents on an unknown date, according to ICE. Between 2010 and 2025, he was deported twice and had arrests for public disorder, violation of probation, and public intoxication. After a one-day detention for intoxication, ICE arrested him to initiate a new deportation process.
8. Gabriel García Avilés
Gabriel García Avilés, 56, died on October 23, 2025, in a California hospital.
ICE reported that staff at Victor Valley Global Medical Center in California stated that the immigrant died of cardiac arrest due to alcohol withdrawal. His family asked medical services to cease resuscitation attempts, the agency added.
He entered the US as an undocumented immigrant on an unknown date. Immigration authorities arrested him a couple of times and offered him voluntary return to Mexico, but he returned to the United States. Between 2007 and 2024, he was detained multiple times for disorderly conduct, providing false information to a police officer, littering in public, and violating a local ordinance, according to ICE.
9. Heber Sanchaz Domínguez
Heber Sanchaz Domínguez, 34, died on January 14, 2026, after being found hanging by the neck and unconscious at the Robert A. Deyton Detention Center in Georgia.
ICE reported that he was transported to a hospital, where he died, and classified the case as a suicide. According to the agency, he entered the US as an undocumented immigrant in December 2023 and had been detained for driving without a valid license.
10. Alberto Gutiérrez Reyes
Alberto Gutiérrez Reyes, 48, died on February 27, 2026, after being transferred from a detention center to a hospital in California.
ICE reported that he experienced chest pain and difficulty breathing before dying despite medical efforts.
According to the agency, he entered the US without documents on an unknown date. In 2010, he was arrested for assaulting his spouse or partner and received a diversion program instead of going to prison. In January, the Border Patrol detained him in an immigration operation and handed him over to ICE.
11. Royer Pérez Jiménez
Royer Pérez Jiménez, 19, died on March 16, 2026, at the Glades County Detention Center, Florida.
ICE reported that he was found unconscious in his dormitory and that resuscitation efforts failed to save him. The agency classified the case as a suicide.
According to ICE, he entered the US in 2022 and was detained by the Border Patrol, but re-entered the country on an unknown date. In January, he was arrested in Florida for alleged identity fraud and resisting an officer. A month later, ICE took him into custody.
12. José Guadalupe Ramos Solano
José Guadalupe Ramos Solano, 36, died on March 25, 2026, after being found unconscious at the Adelanto Detention Center, California.
He was rushed to Victor Valley Global Medical Center, where his death was declared. ICE reported that the cause of death remained undetermined.
According to ICE, he was arrested in May 2025 in Redondo Beach for possession of a controlled substance and theft of personal property. He was sentenced in August, though the sentence was not specified. In February 2026, ICE detained him in an immigration operation in Torrance and transferred him to Adelanto under custody.
13. Jaime Alanís García
Jaime Alanís García, 57, died in July 2025 after falling from a roof while fleeing during an ICE raid at a greenhouse in California, according to information from the family, the hospital, and government sources.
According to his family and medical authorities, the fall caused a fatal neck injury. He was the first known Mexican to die during one of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations.
14. Silverio Villegas González
Silverio Villegas González, 38, died on September 12, 2025, after being shot by an ICE agent during a traffic stop in Chicago.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that he resisted arrest and dragged the agent with his vehicle. Family members and civil organizations called for an investigation into the use of force.
15. Alejandro Cabrera Clemente
Alejandro Cabrera Clemente, 49, died on April 11, 2026, while in ICE custody at the Winn Correctional Center, Louisiana.
ICE reported that he was found with no vital signs in his cell and was transported to a hospital, where he was declared dead. The cause remains under investigation.
16. Félix Alcorta Rodríguez
Félix Alcorta Rodríguez, 63 years old, died on June 19, 2026 while being held at the Webb County Detention Center, Texas.
ICE reported that he was found unconscious and taken to a hospital, where he died. The official cause remains pending the autopsy.
17. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52 years old, died on July 7, 2026 after being shot by an ICE agent during an operation in Houston.
Salgado Araujo had been living in the United States for about 35 years, worked in construction, and was the father of three US citizen children.
US authorities maintain that he tried to evade arrest, struck an official vehicle, and attempted to run over an agent, who fired in self-defense.
His family rejects that version. They claim he was on his way to work, did not know that those following him were federal agents, and had no criminal record.
His death provoked the most recent reaction from the Mexican Government and became the case that led Sheinbaum to announce new complaints before US authorities.
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