Security & Strategic Review - September 2026

A steady increase of deaths among Mexican nationals in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and during ICE field operations has become a point of friction in the US-Mexico relationship in recent months. This has pushed President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government to move from diplomatic dialogue towards formal legal action even as it continues to seek security and trade cooperation with Washington. On 19 August Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco Álvarez presented an update on the criminal complaints that Mexico filed in the US regarding the issue the previous month, noting that some progress had been made.