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