Mexicans caught in ICE raids

MEXICO CITY.— The Mexican government has already documented the detention of 1,154 Mexicans by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the United States since Donald Trump took office, Roberto Velasco Álvarez, head of the North American Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reported yesterday.

At a press conference in the capital, the official detailed that 111 ICE operations have been carried out, in which 5,719 people have been detained, including 1,154 Mexicans.

Velasco said the raids intensified starting June 6, coinciding with protests in California against U.S. immigration policy.

He noted that, from June 6 to the present, U.S. immigration authorities have detained 222 people , who, he said, have been offered consular assistance.

The arrests occurred in several cities, including Los Angeles (54 cases), Omaha, Nebraska (44), Oxnard, California (67), Bergen, Pennsylvania (2), Orange County, California (1), Richford (2), Vinton, Louisiana (52) , and a recent operation in South Carolina, the number of people arrested has yet to be confirmed.

For his part, Foreign Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente emphasized that the Mexican government will not allow mistreatment of its citizens.

"For us, migration is a right, and migrants have rights, and it's up to us, from the consular area, to see and ensure that those rights are fulfilled, observed, and exercised," he stated.

De la Fuente explained that instruments such as the Migrant Rights Booklet, the Mexican Consular Support Line —operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week and accessible by dialing 079 from Mexico —as well as consular services in cases of detention were strengthened.

Velasco, on the other hand, said that the case of the Mexican man who died in ICE custody in Atlanta "is complicated," although he has so far ruled out any information that he was the victim of any type of violence at the center.