Mexico, complaint in the USA for the death of a migrant in ICE custody

The government of Mexico will file a complaint with the United States over the death of a Mexican citizen detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which occurred at a detention center in Laredo, Texas. President Claudia Sheinbaum announced it, specifying that the man, stopped in June, suffered from diabetes and hypertension and may not have received all the necessary drugs, according to what his family reported.

The death occurred on Saturday 17 October in the Rio Grande migrant detention center. The cause of death has not yet been ascertained and medico-legal investigations are underway. The victim was identified by US media as Emiliano Andrade Covarrubias, 56.

With this case, the number of Mexican citizens who have died in the custody of US immigration authorities or during immigration control operations since January 2025 rises to 18, according to the Mexican diplomatic count. Sheinbaum announced a strengthening of consular assistance and legal initiatives to clarify the circumstances of the death and ascertain any responsibility.