MEXICO CITY, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Mexican government will file a complaint in the United States over the death of a Mexican national at the Rio Grande Processing Center in Laredo, in the U.S. state of Texas, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday.
At her regular press conference, she lamented the death of another Mexican in custody at the detention center, the 18th Mexican to die in custody after being detained in the United States since January 2025. The facility holds immigration detainees for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"We are also going to file a complaint in the United States, because human rights must be protected. This compatriot was detained in June, and his family told us that he suffered from diabetes and hypertension and possibly did not have all his medications," Sheinbaum said at the National Palace.
She said Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco has been in contact with the man's relatives since Sunday.
Sheinbaum said she will ask Mexican consulates to strengthen the protection of the human rights of Mexicans abroad, particularly those who are detained.
She also stressed the Mexican government's stance against any form of racism, especially against Mexicans in the United States.
"We are against any form of racism, especially when it comes to our compatriots in the United States. In the Mexican government, in the president, they will always have an ally. We look after Mexicans abroad," she said.
The Mexican Foreign Ministry on Sunday asked U.S. authorities for "a prompt, thorough, and transparent investigation to clarify the circumstances of the death and determine whether anyone bears responsibility." ■